Poland: suspect detained in murder of Russian dissident
A 36-year-old man with a Georgian passport detained near Warsaw in connection with the murder of Semyon Skripetsky in Biała Podlaska.
Poland: suspect detained in murder of Russian dissident
On Thursday, Polish authorities detained a man suspected of murdering Russian dissident Semyon Skripetsky, an artist known for satirical drawings mocking Vladimir Putin. The man was shot dead Monday morning near his home in Biała Podlaska.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the detention on social media. According to him, the detainee holds a passport issued to a 36-year-old Georgian citizen. Tusk previously stated that all evidence points to a "political assassination" and if a contract from Russia is confirmed, it would constitute "state terrorism".
In a separate statement, the Lublin police confirmed that the arrest took place at a hostel near Warsaw, where the suspect was staying. Officers released a photograph from the moment of detention.
Coordinator of special services Tomasz Siemoniak explained that the identification of the man was aided by analysis of surveillance footage, communications, and witness statements.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński revealed that the detainee is also suspected of committing other crimes in Poland dating back to 2022. He did not, however, provide details regarding their nature.
Tusk and Kierwiński emphasised that investigators are attempting to establish on whose orders Skripetsky, whose real name was Robert Kuzowkov, was killed.
"This may be a method employed by foreign intelligence services, involving the hiring of criminals for various operations," Siemoniak stated. "We have seen this in previous years, though it did not involve murders, but rather beatings."
Skripetsky was shot five times near his home in eastern Poland on Monday morning.
He was an artist whose work focused on satirical caricatures mocking the Russian leader. He fled Russia in 2021 out of fear of political persecution. Days before his death, the artist organised a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin.
Skripetsky reported on social media that he had received death threats from supporters of Chechen leader and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov, who was also the subject of his satirical drawings.
Following the artist's death, police immediately launched a manhunt for the perpetrator, resulting in the detention of two Belarusians aged 33 and 37 near the Belarusian consulate in Biała Podlaska. Kierwiński confirmed, however, that they had no connection to the murder and were released.
Source: Notes from Poland
Source: Notes From Poland