The man tasked with assassinating Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko in Kiev says he only played along to gain vital intelligence.
Oleksiy Tsymbaliuk, a former Orthodox priest, says he informed the security services the moment he was approached.
“I'm Arkady Babchenko's murderer,” Mr Tsymbaliuk tells me with a big laugh as we meet in a Kiev cellar.
Mr Babchenko sent shock waves around the world when he faked his own death last month before appearing on TV.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Tsymbaliuk explained the alleged role he played in the hoax in the Ukrainian capital.
An active member of one of Ukraine's right-wing groups, he has been a volunteer in the war against Russian-backed rebels in the east.
Has he ever killed anyone? It's an uncouth question, he tells me.
In early April, Mr Tsymbaliuk says he was approached by fellow Ukrainian Borys Herman to carry out an assassination.
Through a combination of face-to-face meetings, instant messaging, and a cash advance of $14,000 (£10,400) they allegedly made plans to kill Mr Babchenko.
A contact from his time in the east, Mr Tsymbaliuk says he thinks he was chosen because Mr Herman, a weapons manufacturer, thought he could be easily manipulated.
If that is true it was a bad miscalculation: Mr Tsymbaliuk…
