Adrian Bocquet talks of surviving Ukrainian assassination attempt

Johnny Miller
Press TV, Donetsk

This is Adrian Bocquet. He is a former French soldier, turned blogger and military expert, now working in Donbass. He recently survived an assassination attempt in Turkey.

So why was Adrien targeted? In April last year he travelled to Ukraine as a humanitarian worker. While there he says he witnessed multiple Ukrainian war crimes. After returning to France, he appeared in the media disputing Western claims about the atrocities in Bucha.

Ukraine and NATO countries accuse Russian soldiers of killing hundreds of civilians in the town. Russia claims it was a false flag, set up to invoke hatred against them. He then travelled to the Russian side of the conflict as a blogger. And eventually worked with local authorities in identifying Ukrainian war crimes as they shell civilians in Donetsk.

Now, it’s not clear whether Adrien was targeted due to his claims as a journalist. Or due to his subsequent, official work with the Donetsk People’s Republic. Either way, the incident has stoked fear among journalists working in Donbass and also others that are critical of the policies of Kiev and NATO.

It seems like the danger of being seen as an enemy of Kiev, in whatever capacity, has become potentially deadly. And not just within the borders of Ukraine.

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