Newsletters
Polish authorities said Saturday they are investigating the fatal shooting of Russian dissident artist Robert Kuzovkov as a likely political assassination, after Prime Minister Donald Tusk said "everything points" to a political motive behind the killing.
A suspect carrying a Georgian passport has been detained in connection with the shooting, while investigators continue searching for whoever may have ordered the attack, authorities said.
Kuzovkov, who worked under the artistic name Semyon Skrepetsky, was a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. He was shot dead in the eastern city of Biala Podlaska, near the Belarusian border.
Prosecutors said he was struck by five bullets, including one to the head, and that the attacker fired additional shots at close range after he had already fallen to the ground.
Writing on X, Tusk said that if the killing was ordered by Russia, it would amount to an act of "state terrorism."
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak wrote on X Saturday that investigators were examining whether criminal networks may have been used by foreign intelligence services to carry out the operation.
The detained suspect, described by police as a 36-year-old man, was apprehended in an operation involving both the police and the Internal Security Agency, known as the ABW. Two Belarusian nationals were also briefly detained but were later released without charges.
Investigators have not yet identified who may have ordered the killing, and officials emphasized that the inquiry remains in its early stages.
Kuzovkov fled Russia in 2021 and was granted protection in Poland after claiming political persecution. He became known for satirical, often provocative caricatures targeting Putin, Kadyrov and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Just days before his death, he staged a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Russia Day, displaying anti-Kremlin artwork.
The killing comes amid growing concern in Poland and across Europe over alleged Russian espionage, sabotage and influence operations since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Polish authorities have repeatedly accused Russian intelligence services of coordinating arson attacks, cyber operations and the recruitment of criminal intermediaries to carry out acts of sabotage on Polish soil. Moscow has denied the allegations.
Poland has become one of the main centers for Russian political exiles since the invasion of Ukraine, as well as a critical logistical hub for Western military assistance to Kyiv. A politically motivated killing on Polish territory would therefore be viewed not only as a criminal act but also as a challenge to national security and state sovereignty.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not set a timeline for further developments.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
