Polish police and ABW detain Georgian national suspected of executing Russian dissident artist in Biała Podlaska
Polish authorities have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the fatal shooting of Russian artist and regime critic Robert Kuzowkow in Biała Podlaska on Monday. The suspect, who holds a Georgian passport, was detained near Warsaw by police and ABW officers.
Arrest of suspect
On Thursday morning, Polish security services arrested a man suspected of involvement in the murder of Russian artist Robert Kuzowkow in Biała Podlaska. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on social media that the suspect was detained near Warsaw by officers from the Lublin regional police and the Internal Security Agency (ABW). The man holds a Georgian passport and his full identity is being verified.
Suspect in the murder of a Russian in Biała Podlaska detained by Lublin police and ABW! He uses a Georgian passport. The services are working to identify the person who ordered the killing.
Details of the murder
The killing occurred on Monday, June 15, between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. on a sidewalk in a residential area on Królowej Jadwigi Street in Biała Podlaska, a city near the Belarusian border. The victim, 44-year-old Robert Kuzowkow, known publicly as Siemion Skriepiecki, was walking his dog when an unknown assailant approached and fired three shots from a handgun. After the victim fell, the shooter fired two more shots at close range. An autopsy revealed seven gunshot wounds: five entry wounds and two exit wounds to the head, chest, and back. Police recovered five shell casings and one 9 mm caliber bullet at the scene.
It was an execution. The man approached Skriepiecki, who was walking his dog a few hundred meters from his home, and began shooting, not caring about witnesses. He fired about five shots, then got into a waiting Kia and drove off with three accomplices.
Victim: a Putin critic
Kuzowkow was a Russian artist and cartoonist who left Russia in 2021 fearing political repercussions. He openly criticized the Russian authorities, creating caricatures of Vladimir Putin and other figures. He lived in Biała Podlaska with his family and had recently performed anti-Putin street actions across Europe. The previous weekend, he demonstrated in Berlin during Russia Day celebrations, walking around with a portrait of Stalin and a Russian flag dragging behind him. He had reportedly received death threats, with his last Telegram post on Monday morning showing such threats.
Investigation and political reaction
Initially, police detained two Belarusian citizens near the Belarusian consulate in Biała Podlaska, and later an Italian national, but all were released without charges and are being treated as witnesses. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Tusk said the murder likely had a political motive and, if ordered by Russia, would constitute an act of state terrorism. The investigation, originally led by the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, was taken over by the National Prosecutor's Office on Thursday. Polish services have also taken the victim's wife and children to a safe location.
Everything indicates that the murder of Russian citizen Robert K. in Biała Podlaska was political. If it was carried out on Moscow's orders, this is a very serious matter of international significance. This is state terrorism.
Timeline of key events
- Robert Kuzowkow shot dead on ul. Królowej Jadwigi, Biała Podlaska.
- Police detain two Belarusian citizens near the Belarusian consulate; later released without charge.
- PM Tusk says murder likely political and could be Russian state terrorism.
- Victim's autopsy begins; three earlier detainees released.
- Suspect with Georgian passport arrested near Warsaw by police and ABW.
