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Man Arrested Near Warsaw in Killing of Exiled Russian Artist

Polish officials say the arrest raises the prospect of a state‑ordered assassination and could create serious diplomatic fallout if foreign involvement is confirmed.

Overview

  • Polish police and the domestic security service arrested a suspect in Piastów near Warsaw who is held while investigators verify a Georgian passport he used and probe links to organized crime or foreign services.
  • The artist Semjon Skrepezki was shot dead in Biała Podlaska and witnesses and forensics say he was hit by multiple close-range shots during the attack on Monday.
  • Investigators have not recovered the murder weapon and have released two Belarusian nationals who were initially detained for lack of evidence as authorities pursue possible masterminds.
  • Government leaders, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, called the killing a likely political murder and warned that confirmed state involvement would amount to state terrorism with international consequences.
  • The case echoes past attacks on Kremlin critics abroad and has heightened fear among exiles and security concerns in Poland, a NATO frontline state that must now weigh legal and diplomatic responses.