Polish police arrest Georgian suspect in killing of Putin critic Semyon Skrepetsky

Russian dissident artist Semyon Skrepetsky was shot dead in eastern Poland on Tuesday, and a Georgian national has been arrested in connection with the killing, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed on Thursday. The 44-year-old artist, known for his biting caricatures of Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was killed with five gunshots at close range in Biała Podlaska, a town near Poland’s border with Belarus.

Tusk told reporters in Warsaw that the suspect, whose identity has not been officially disclosed, holds a Georgian passport. “The Polish police have detained a man suspected of involvement in the assassination,” he said. The arrest follows a day of heightened security in the region and a nationwide manhunt launched after Skrepetsky was gunned down on Tuesday afternoon.

Skrepetsky’s death has sent shockwaves through Poland’s political and artistic communities. The artist, who fled Russia in 2022 after facing repeated harassment and legal threats, had become a symbol of resistance against Putin’s regime. His satirical works, often depicting the Russian president as a dictator or war criminal, were widely circulated in exile and drew international attention. Polish authorities have described the killing as a targeted political assassination and elevated the case to a matter of national security.

The arrest comes amid growing speculation about possible Kremlin involvement. On Thursday, Swedish media reported the detention of Russian businessman Ilya Traber, a longtime associate of Putin, on suspicion of orchestrating the murder and facing additional charges of economic crimes. Traber, once described as a “guardian of Putin’s secrets” and a key figure in the president’s inner circle, was taken into custody by Russian security services, according to state-aligned outlets.

Polish prosecutors have not yet linked the Georgian suspect to Traber or any broader conspiracy, but the timing of the arrests has intensified scrutiny of Moscow’s role. Tusk, who has been a vocal critic of Putin, called the killing a “direct attack on freedom of expression” and vowed to pursue all leads. “This is not just a murder—it is an attempt to silence dissent beyond Russia’s borders,” he said.

Skrepetsky’s body was found near a shopping center in Biała Podlaska, where he had been living in exile. A Belarusian national was initially detained in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but Polish police later confirmed that a second suspect—this time a Georgian national—had been taken into custody. Investigators are examining whether the killing was carried out by a lone gunman or as part of a coordinated operation.

The case has drawn condemnation from human rights groups and European governments, with calls for a swift and transparent investigation. As Poland prepares to host an emergency EU summit on Friday, the murder of Skrepetsky threatens to further strain relations between Brussels and Moscow, already at their lowest point since the invasion of Ukraine.

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