Poland probes 'political assassination' of Russian dissident artist

Polish premier sees 'state terrorism'

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday the killing of Russian dissident artist Robert Kuzovkov in the eastern city of Biala Podlaska appeared to be a politically motivated assassination, raising fears of foreign state-sponsored violence on NATO territory. Tusk wrote on the social media platform X that "everything points" to a political motive, adding that if the killing was ordered by Russia, it would represent an act of "state terrorism."

Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak stated Saturday that investigators were examining whether criminal networks had been used by foreign intelligence services to carry out the operation, according to officials. The inquiry has not yet identified who ordered the killing, and prosecutors stressed that the investigation remains ongoing while two Belarusian nationals detained alongside the main suspect were released without charges.

Dissident targeted after Berlin protest

Kuzovkov — who worked under the artistic name Semyon Skrepetsky — was shot dead near the Belarusian border after fleeing Russia in 2021 and receiving protection in Poland, becoming known for satirical caricatures targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. He had staged a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin displaying anti-Kremlin artwork days before his death, while prosecutors said the victim was struck by five bullets, including one to his head, and that the attacker fired additional shots at close range after he fell.

NATO ally faces covert threats

Poland has become a main center for Russian political exiles since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and serves as a critical logistical hub for Western military assistance to Kyiv, with authorities repeatedly accusing Russian intelligence of coordinating arson attacks, cyber operations and recruitment of criminal intermediaries. Moscow denies the allegations, though a politically motivated killing on Polish territory would be viewed as a direct challenge to national security and state sovereignty, according to security analysts.