Poland Reports Detaining Another Suspect, ‘Georgian National’, Over Russian Artist’s Killing

Polish authorities reported detaining a second suspect, a 22-year-old Georgian national, on suspicions of “aiding and abetting” the murder of Robert Kuzovkov, also known as Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian artist critical of President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. “The court has ordered his pre-trial detention for a period of three months” as the investigation proceeds, ​Tomasz Siemoniak, Polish minister and coordinator of special services, wrote on X on October 22. The suspect was identified as Makhmud A. in Polish media reports that cited Siemoniak.

The arrest comes months after Polish authorities reported in June that they detained another suspect, who was “using a Georgian passport. ” Kuzovkov was shot dead by an “unidentified gunman” early on June 15 in Biała Podlaska, a small Polish town near the Belarusian border, where he had been granted asylum in 2021. He was known for his caricatures of Vladimir Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka, among others. Before these arrests, Polish authorities initially detained two Belarusian citizens in connection with the murder, but later said they were released as no links…