Arkady Babchenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arkady Babchenko
|
|
|---|---|
Babchenko in 2018
|
|
| Born | Arkady Arkadyevich Babchenko 18 March 1977 Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Language | Russian |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Notable works | One Soldier's War (2006) |
| Children | 7 (6 adopted) |
Arkady Arkadyevich Babchenko (Russian: Аркадий Аркадьевич Бабченко; born March 18, 1977) is a Russian journalist. He writes for newspapers and works on TV. From 1995, Babchenko served in the army during the First Chechen War. He later volunteered for six months during the Second Chechen War. After leaving the army in 2000, he worked as a war correspondent for over ten years. In 2006, he published a book called One Soldier's War about his experiences in Chechnya. Since 2017, he has worked as a TV presenter for the ATR channel in Kyiv, Ukraine.
On May 29, 2018, news spread that Babchenko had been shot and killed in his home in Kyiv, Ukraine. However, the very next day, he appeared alive at a press conference with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU explained that they had faked his death. This was done to catch people who were allegedly planning to harm him.
Contents
Early Life and Army Service
Arkady Babchenko was born in Moscow in 1977. When he was 18, in 1995, he was drafted into the Russian army. He served until 2000 in the North Caucasus region. He was part of the communication team during the First Chechen War. Later, he volunteered to serve for another six months during the Second Chechen War.
Journalism and Books
After leaving the army in 2000, Babchenko became a war correspondent. This means he reported on wars and conflicts for more than ten years. He wrote for newspapers like Moskovskij Komsomolets.
Between 2002 and 2006, a literary magazine called Novy Mir published parts of his story. These stories were about his time as a soldier in Chechnya. They were called "Ten Episodes About the War." The magazine also published his short story "Alkhan-Yurt." In 2006, "Ten Episodes About the War" was published as a book called Alkhan-Yurt. It was later translated into English as One Soldier's War.
Life in Ukraine
In February 2017, Babchenko and his family left Russia. They first moved to Prague. Later, they moved to Kyiv, Ukraine. There, he started working as a presenter for the Crimean TV channel ATR. He had faced threats and criticism in Russia after sharing his opinions online.
Staged Death Event
On May 29, 2018, many news outlets around the world reported that Arkady Babchenko had been killed in Kyiv. The Kyiv Police said he might have been killed because of his work as a journalist. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman, suggested that Russia was responsible. However, Russia denied any involvement.
.jpeg)
The very next day, Babchenko surprised everyone by appearing alive on Ukrainian television. He was at a press conference held by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU explained that they had worked with Babchenko for a month on a secret operation. They had faked his death to uncover people who were planning to harm him. The SBU said they had arrested a Ukrainian suspect who was allegedly hired by a Russian intelligence official. This person was supposedly planning to kill Babchenko.
The SBU claimed that those who wanted to harm Babchenko were planning to kill many other people in Ukraine. They said they found out about this plot when one of the people asked to kill Babchenko told the security services.
Some international groups, like the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Reporters Without Borders, criticized Ukraine for staging the death. However, Babchenko and the Ukrainian authorities defended the operation. They said it was necessary to gather evidence and stop a larger plot. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also supported the operation. He said it showed the world who their real enemy was.
A Ukrainian court later arrested a man named Borys Herman. He was accused of paying someone to harm Babchenko. Herman said he had not intended to kill the reporter and had worked with Ukrainian counterintelligence. In August 2018, a court sentenced Herman to 4.5 years in prison. He was released in November 2019 after serving 1.5 years.
Moving Again
In November 2019, Babchenko moved to Israel. This move happened after Volodymyr Zelenskyy became the new President of Ukraine in April 2019. However, other journalists have suggested he might have moved to Estonia or Finland. Babchenko has chosen not to share his exact location. Still, he has said he plans to return to Ukraine in the future, calling it "my country."
In June 2022, his account on Facebook was temporarily blocked. Babchenko believed this happened because of his strong reactions to news about the Kremenchuk shopping mall attack in Ukraine.
Personal Life
Arkady Babchenko is married. He has one biological daughter and six adopted children.
Awards
- 2001 Debut Prize from the International Pokolenie (Generation) Foundation for Десять серий о войне (Ten Episodes About the War)
- 2018 Time Person of the Year as part of "The Guardians"
See Also
In Spanish: Arkadi Bábchenko para niños
