On 12 January 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry placed journalist Arkady Babchenko on its ‘wanted list’. The page dedicated to Babchenko on the ministry’s database does not specify what he is accused of. It also does not include a photo, however Russian independent media wrote that the journalist’s name, date of birth and other personal details correspond to those on the site.
Arkady Babchenko previously worked as a war correspondent for Moskovsky Komsomolets. He also collaborated with Novaya Gazeta and several Russian television channels. In 2017, he published a Facebook post on a plane accident near Sochi which killed 92 people, including mostly members of a Russian military choir travelling to Syria. Babchenko wrote that the victims were “accomplices of criminals” and that he “does not feel sorry” for them. Following this, he left Russia, claiming he no longer felt safe there.
Since 2017, Arkady Babchenko lived in Ukraine and in other European countries. In May 2018, he participated in the staging of his own death while living in Kyiv. Ukrainian security officials later claimed that the operation was meant to uncover a plot linked to Russia aiming to kill Babchenko.