Polish authorities have detained a suspect in the killing of Russian opposition cartoonist Semyon Skrepetsky, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying the alleged assassin used a passport issued to a Georgian citizen.
“The suspect in the murder of a Russian citizen in Biała Podlaska has been detained by the Lublin police and the Internal Security Agency. He used a Georgian passport. The services are working to establish the organiser of the crime,” Tusk wrote on the social media platform X on Wednesday, News.Az re[prts, citing News Georgia.
The suspect was detained in a joint operation on the morning of 18 June by Lublin police and Poland’s Internal Security Agency. Police in Lublin said the individual was using a passport issued to a 36-year-old Georgian citizen. Authorities are currently verifying the authenticity of the documents.
Skrepetsky was killed on 15 June near his home in Biała Podlaska in eastern Poland. According to investigators, the attacker acted in a professional manner, firing three shots at the artist and then delivering two “control shots” to the head and chest at close range after he fell.
Earlier in the investigation, Polish police detained two Belarusian nationals near the Belarusian consulate, but they were released after questioning due to a lack of evidence.
Tusk has previously said the circumstances of the killing point to a contract-style and politically motivated attack. He has suggested that, if involvement of Russian authorities is confirmed, it could be treated as “state terrorism”.
Skrepetsky had been granted refugee status in Poland after emigrating from Russia in 2021. His work included sharp satirical criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin, the war against Ukraine, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. According to media reports, he had received repeated death threats because of his work. Polish authorities were aware of the risks and had reportedly offered him protective measures and security, which he declined.