Robbery or Russian operation: Ukrainian journalist Makarov reveals details of knife attack
Ukrainian journalist Yurii Makarov, who was attacked and stabbed on 16 April in a residential area in Kyiv, has voiced two possible motives of the perpetrator: either an attempted robbery or a possible operation by Russian special services aimed at demotivating society by attacking a public figure.
Source: report by Ukrainian news programme TSN
Details: Makarov emphasised that the attack took place on the closed territory of a residential area, which cannot be accessed without an electronic pass.
It happened at around 22:30-22:40 when Makarov went out into the courtyard for a walk to gather his thoughts while working on another piece.
Quote: "When I saw the blade, my reflexes kicked in, something I had been taught back in university when I was practising in a then-banned karate club. I instinctively deflected the knife and struck that son of a bitch in the head. I don't know if I hit him or not, but my knuckles still hurt."
Details: The second strike did injure the journalist, hitting him in the abdomen. As Makarov jokes, the attacker may have tried, in classic Moscow criminal folklore fashion, to stab him between the ribs, but lacked the strength or resolve.
Makarov noted that the attacker may have simply wanted to rob him, and when that failed, fled the scene. However, he also considers the Russian special operation theory to be plausible.
Quote: "I was already on the 'hit list' along with Arkady Babchenko [a Russian journalist known for his critical stance on the Russian government – ed.] and Yevgeny Kiselyov [a Russian journalist known for his critical reporting on corruption in the Russian government – ed.]. There were about twenty names, and it was no joke. Vitalii Portnikov [a Ukrainian journalist who had to move to Poland after he was warned by trustworthy Russian sources that there were plans to murder him]… So, this might be another special operation aimed at undermining our morale."
Details: Unfortunately, Makarov did not remember the attacker's face, as he admits to having poor facial memory. This currently prevents the creation of a facial composite. However, he pointed out that for an ordinary "junkie" looking to mug someone for a fix, the attacker had an unusually good-quality knife, which he threw away while fleeing and which has since been recovered by the police.
"If this really is an indirect expression of 'brotherly love' from across the border, then I'm simply filled with a sense of personal significance. And I'm glad, so to speak, to have earned such recognition," Makarov jokes.
He was taken to hospital with stab wounds to the anterior abdominal wall and arm, and was in a serious condition due to blood loss. However, journalists reported that doctors now give an optimistic prognosis for Makarov's recovery.
Makarov himself hopes that he may be discharged and allowed to go home on Monday 21 April.
Background:
On 17 April, it was reported that an unidentified individual had attacked Suspilne executive producer Yurii Makarov with a knife. The journalist is currently in hospital.
Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the journalist has already given an initial statement to the police.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the knife attack against Yurii Makarov, saying that one possible motive is Makarov's professional activity, specifically his coverage of Russia's war against Ukraine. Klymenko later added that another possible motive being considered by the investigation is a domestic one.
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