Russian citizen's killing in Poland may be political, Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that "everything indicates" the killing of a Russian artist and Kremlin critic in Poland may have been a political assassination, adding that identifying a hitman is proving highly complicated.
Robert Kuzovkov, 44, who used the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot dead on Monday in the eastern Polish town of Biala Podlaska. According to investigators, a gunman approached him in broad daylight, opened fire and fled the scene. Authorities said at the time that they could not rule out a premeditated killing and investigators remain on the hunt for the perpetrator.
"Everything indicates that this was a political assassination, but we must wait for evidence and more concrete findings," Tusk told a news conference in Warsaw.
The prime minister said that if the killing were found to have been ordered by Moscow, it would carry serious international implications. "If it turns out that Russia was behind this attack, it would constitute an act of state terrorism," he said.
Tusk added that the investigation is particularly challenging because identifying and tracing a contract killer was "unfortunately, extremely difficult."
Kuzovkov was based in Biala Podlaska and was known for his outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. According to Polish media reports, he had previously declined an offer of personal protection from Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW), although the reasons for his decision remain unknown.
Investigators said Kuzovkov was walking along a sidewalk when the assailant approached and fired multiple shots at close range with a handgun. He suffered a total of seven gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and back. (PAP)
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