Poland arrests suspect in daylight killing of Russian Putin critic in Biała Podlaska as Tusk raises spectre of state-ordered murder

A public assassination

On 15 June 2026 around 10:00 am, Siemion Skrepecki, a 44-year-old Russian artist whose real name was Robert Kuzowkow, was shot dead on a parking lot off Królowej Jadwigi Street in Biała Podlaska, eastern Poland. He was walking his dog when a gunman approached, fired several shots, and, after the victim fell, walked up and shot him twice more in the head. Police later documented seven gunshot wounds to the head, chest and back. Eyewitnesses saw the attacker flee in a waiting car that had been creeping alongside a nearby park.

Three-day manhunt

Lublin police immediately sealed off the city and alerted border checkpoints, but the killer escaped. In the hours after the murder, officers detained two Belarusians and an Italian man who had behaved nervously near the Belarusian consulate; all three were released after questioning. A special task force under the Lublin regional police commander, supported by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), combed through municipal CCTV and dashcam recordings from passing motorists. By 17 June the team had identified a suspect and a vehicle, but concealed the breakthrough to avoid alerting the target.

In the early hours of 18 June, counter-terrorism units from the BOA and Lublin stormed a hostel in Piastów, just outside Warsaw, where several foreign nationals were staying. Officers simultaneously broke into all rooms, detaining a 36-year-old man carrying a Georgian passport. Minister of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński confirmed the arrest later that morning, calling it a major success for the police and ABW. The suspect, found among a group of mostly Georgian residents, was caught by surprise.

Suspect's criminal links

Kierwiński stated the detainee is not merely the driver of the escape vehicle but is suspected of being the direct perpetrator. The man's profile includes links to organised crime and other offences committed on Polish territory in 2022. Unofficial reports suggest the passport may be false and the man is actually a Chechen. The suspect is to be formally charged on 19 June, and prosecutors will seek pre-trial detention. The Lublin District Prosecutor's Office is leading the case, and the National Prosecutor's Office is also involved.

Foreign hand suspected

Both Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Minister Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak have pointed to a likely foreign-instigated contract killing. Tusk told reporters in Brussels that "there is a suspicion that the potential killer has backers" and that Poland could be facing its first politically-motivated murder commissioned by a foreign state. Siemoniak noted that foreign intelligence services have in recent years hired criminals to carry out beatings on foreign soil, and that this model is now being taken seriously as a scenario for a murder.

“If it is confirmed that this was a murder ordered by Russia, we will be dealing with a very serious international act.”

Victim had refused protection

Deputy Minister Coordinator of Special Services Gen. Radosław Kujawa revealed that Polish security services had repeatedly warned Skrepecki that his life was in real danger. The warnings were based on direct threats and the inflammatory nature of his public performances mocking the Putin regime and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The ABW and police had urged him to accept protective measures, but the artist never filed the formal request required under Polish law to receive police protection. Kujawa said the services had a "deep conviction" he was threatened and possessed evidence confirming the risk was not theoretical.

Skrepecki, who moved to Poland in 2021 and initially stayed in a refugee centre in Biała Podlaska, later settled in the city with his family. His last Telegram post, two hours before his death, mentioned new threats from "Russian patriots" after a performance near the Russian embassy in Berlin.

“The hypothesis about who may be behind it is fairly obvious and follows from the activity of the murdered Russian citizen. He criticised Putin and Kadyrov. On this stage we don't need any special evidence. We want to find it, we have the main suspect and his questioning will bring answers.”