Suspect In Killing Of A Russian Artist Critical Of Putin Has Been Arrested In Poland

WARSAW, Poland — Polish authorities person arrested a man suspected of fatally shooting a Russian activistic captious of President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and are investigating whether Russia is down it, elder officials said Thursday.

The sidesplitting is nan latest enactment which Polish authorities judge could beryllium portion of a run of Russian sabotage aimed astatine sowing fearfulness and demoralizing Ukraine’s closest allies. Poland, a NATO and European Union member, has successful caller years go a spot of refuge for governmental dissidents from Russia and Belarus, arsenic good arsenic Ukrainian warfare refugees.

“Early this morning, constabulary apprehended a fishy successful nan execution of a Russian man — a execution that shocked each of Poland,” Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told a news convention successful Warsaw.

He said nan fishy is simply a 36-year-old man who carried a passport belonging to nan ex-Soviet republic of Georgia pinch links to organized crime and crimes committed successful Poland making love to 2022. The apprehension took spot successful a lodging lodging foreigners successful Piastów, adjacent Warsaw, he said.

Robert Kuzovkov, a 44-year-old known by nan pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was killed connected Monday greeting adjacent his location successful nan eastbound Polish metropolis of Biala Podlaska, adjacent nan separator pinch Belarus. Prosecutors said nan perpetrator fired 2 shots astatine him, past changeable him 3 much times astatine adjacent scope earlier fleeing.

Kuzovkov, who died of gunshot wounds to nan head, thorax and back, had painted unflattering caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov and different high-ranking Russian officials. One depicts Putin being cradled successful nan arms of nan Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. He had refused offers of protection by Polish authorities.

Polish officials said Russia was nether suspicion owed to nan floor plan of nan unfortunate and nan measurement he was killed, though they stressed that they are still investigating.

“We are treating this lawsuit very, very earnestly because, frankly, location is logic to fishy that location whitethorn person been group who commissioned this imaginable assassin,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said successful Brussels, wherever he arrived for a acme connected Thursday.

“I do not request to person anyone that this interest involves nan anticipation of state-sponsored terrorism. This would not beryllium nan first specified lawsuit successful Europe, arsenic Europe has seen incidents of this benignant before. However, successful Poland it would beryllium nan first lawsuit of a politically motivated assassination carried retired connected behalf of a overseas state.”

Since it invaded Ukraine successful 2022, Russia has been accused of trying to assassinate its opponents abroad, including targeting exiled activists successful France and Lithuania.

Officials successful Germany person besides surgery up land targeting nan caput of a German weapons supplier to Ukraine and a Ukrainian subject official.

Polish authorities arrested a man successful 2024 successful what they said was a crippled to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That aforesaid year, a Russian chopper aviator who defected was killed successful Spain, pinch Russian operatives arsenic nan premier suspects.

Gera writes for nan Associated Press.