Polish authorities arrest second Georgian suspect linked to killing of Russian artist Semyon Skrepetsky

Polish intelligence services announced the detention of a 22-year-old Georgian citizen, Makhmud A., on suspicion of assisting the murder of Russian performance artist Semyon Skrepetsky. Investigators say he monitored Skrepetsky’s residence and collected details about his routine to help the perpetrator, who had been captured near Warsaw three days after the killing. Makhmud A. entered Poland the day before his arrest and traveled with two other Georgians, who were later expelled from the country.

He faces charges of aiding and abetting murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which he denies. Skrepetsky, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov, moved to Poland in 2021 to escape persecution and had staged a protest at the Russian Embassy in Berlin three days before his death, after which he reported receiving threats on his Telegram channel.