Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, whose murder was recently staged, has decided to obtain Ukrainian citizenship: he accepted an offer from a representative of the administration of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who offered to help, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"There was a conversation about helping me get citizenship. I didn't refuse, to be honest," Babchenko said. According to him, he now has a permanent residence permit in Ukraine, and his family has also applied for it.

On Tuesday, information emerged that Babchenko had been killed in Kiev, where he had lived since last year. These reports were confirmed by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. However, on Wednesday it became known that his murder had been staged, which was part of a special operation. $40,000 had already been transferred for the murder of the journalist, he said . According to him, he could no longer hide. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) believes that Russian special services were behind the attempt on Babchenko's life. The alleged organizer of Babchenko's murder is named Boris German, according to a statement from the Kiev District Court. The SBUpublished a video of German's arrest.

The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov called the story of the staged murder of Babchenko "at least strange." "Thank God that the man is alive. But this does not change our attitude to Ukraine as a country dangerous for journalists," the Kremlin spokesman added. In turn, Poroshenko called the SBU operation brilliant and called for condemnation of Russia: "They send weapons, entire trucks, send money to kill Ukrainians, journalists, kill government officials. When they are caught red-handed, they say that we do not act like that."

Reports of Arkady Babchenko's murder appeared on Tuesday evening, May 29. Anton Gerashchenko, a member of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry board, reported that the journalist was shot dead in the entrance to the building where he lived. The killer acted meanly – he shot Babchenko several times in the back, Gerashchenko reported / Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters

Babchenko decided to obtain Ukrainian citizenship