Suspect detained on motorway
Polish authorities charged 22-year-old Georgian citizen Makhmud A., who can be named only by his initial under Polish privacy law, with aiding and abetting the murder of Russian dissident Robert Kuzovkov. The Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained Makhmud A. on 19 October in a car park along the A2 motorway after he flew into Poland from Georgia on 18 October alongside two other Georgians. Those two individuals face expulsion and a 10-year re-entry ban. Makhmud A. allegedly provided Elnur A. with a weapon, transportation, and a mobile phone with an application for monitoring the victim’s vehicle during the period from 1 to 11 June 2026. He also faces charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. A spokeswoman for the district court in Lublin told broadcaster TVN that Makhmud A. provided the perpetrator with a weapon, means of transportation, and a mobile phone with an application enabling monitoring of the victim’s vehicle. The court approved three months of detention for Makhmud A. because prosecutors fear he might flee, go into hiding, or obstruct proceedings. Under Polish law, both Makhmud A. and Elnur A. face potential prison sentences of between 10 years and life. Both suspects have pleaded not guilty.
Investigation into political assassination
Robert Kuzovkov, an artist who published satirical cartoons under the name Semyon Skrepetsky, died on 15 June after gunmen shot him five times near his home in Biala Podlaska. Kuzovkov fled Russia in 2021 to avoid political prosecution. Before his death, he used social media to report death threats from supporters of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the killing as a "political assassination" and stated that if Russia’s involvement is confirmed, the case would be "state terrorism." Kuzovkov had previously refused protection from Polish authorities for reasons Tusk called "unknown." This refusal left the artist unprotected before the shooting. Elnur A., who faces charges for the murder itself, remains in custody following his arrest in a hostel near Warsaw on 18 June. This investigation follows a trend of "imported crime" in Poland, as the interior ministry claimed last year that the country faces an increasing wave of such activity from immigrants from Georgia and other former Soviet states. Polish authorities have also dealt with "disposable agents" hired through Telegram to conduct sabotage, such as arson attacks by Ukrainians and Belarusians and an attack on a Starlink satellite internet ground station. Germany recently detained two Turkish men at the request of Poland, as authorities believe they were responsible for an arson attack on the Starlink ground station. Officials also believe Russia ordered the attack on the Starlink ground station.
