The plot went awry because Ms. Okuyeva was also armed, and the details of the attack and its aftermath are now shedding light on Kiev’s role as a testing ground for what Ukrainian officials say are hybrid war activities by Russia, including assassinations.
The attack was the third high-profile killing or attempted killing in Kiev that the Ukranian authorities have attributed to the Russian security services, but the first in which the accused killer impersonated a journalist.
In a statement published June 3, Le Monde said it “wants to stress that none of its journalists are in Ukraine at the moment and that its staff does not include an Alex Werner. Le Monde firmly condemns any impersonation of its journalists or of its title, for whatever purpose.”
