The second defendant in the case of the murder of artist Skrepetsky has been arrested in Poland.
Polish law enforcement detained Georgian citizen Mahmoud A, who is suspected of preparing the murder of artist Semyon Skrepetsky and illegal arms trafficking. He did not plead guilty, and the court, due to the risk of flight, arrested him for three months.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", 44-year-old Russian caricaturist Semyon Skrepetsky (real name Robert Kuzovkov) was shot dead on June 15 in Biala Podlaska, Poland, 30 kilometers from the Belarusian border. The killer fired five shots at the artist. On June 18, it became known about the detention of the suspect. The man used a Georgian passport. His hostel neighbors reported that he spoke Russian and knew Azerbaijani.
The mechanics of the murder of artist Semyon Skrepetsky bear similarities to the murder of former Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, whose executor, according to the investigation, acted on behalf of state structures of the central government of Russia, noted analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot".
In Poland, the second Georgian citizen has been detained in the case of the murder of Russian artist Robert Kuzovkov, known by the pseudonym Simon Skrepetsky. 22-year-old Mahmoud A. is suspected of aiding the murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, reports the Polish publication Niezalezna.pl.
The man was detained on October 19 by officers of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) from the Lublin delegation. The operation took place in a parking lot near the A2 highway. According to the investigation, Mahmoud A. assisted another suspect, Elnur A., in preparing the murder.
The charge of aiding pertains to the period from June 1 to June 11, 2026 — before the murder of the artist. The second charge is related to the possession of firearms and ammunition without a permit.
After his arrest, Mahmoud A. was interrogated by the prosecutor. According to a statement from the National Prosecutor's Office, "he did not plead guilty to the charges and provided explanations," the publication reports.
Investigators filed a petition with the Lublin-Zachodni District Court of Lublin for detention for three months. The prosecution argued that there is a risk of flight or concealment of the suspect, as well as a risk of illegal obstruction of the judicial process. The court granted the prosecution's petition and placed Mahmoud A. under arrest for three months. He faces life imprisonment for aiding in the murder. According to the Criminal Code, anyone who aids in the commission of a crime is subject to punishment within the limits established by law, the publication states.
Semyon Skrepetsky lived in Poland since 2021 and was known for his anti-war and satirical caricatures. On the Telegram channel "Gallery of Semyon Skrepetsky", the artist published his works, most of which mocked politicians from various countries. Skrepetsky drew caricatures of Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Igor Sechin, Valentina Matviyenko, Maria Zakharova, Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Nikita Mikhalkov, Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia, Alexander Lukashenko, Donald Trump, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, and others. Skrepetsky also published satirical drawings and caricatures of the leadership of Ukraine, including Volodymyr Zelensky. For anti-Ukrainian publications and caricatures, he was included in the database of the Ukrainian website "Peacemaker", recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation. Three days before the murder, Skrepetsky held a picket in Berlin outside the Russian embassy with a painting depicting Stalin holding Putin. Shortly before his death, the artist reported threats on his Telegram channel.