Poland arrests suspect in fatal shooting of Russian artist critical of Putin, Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced authorities have detained a suspect in the killing of Russian artist and Kremlin critic Mark Razin, shot dead in Warsaw last week. Tusk said the suspect was arrested in another EU country and that investigators are pursuing the possibility of state-sponsored involvement. The incident sharpens concerns over a renewed series of attacks on Russian dissidents in Europe.
France 24 Europe reports that Tusk said at a Warsaw press conference Wednesday morning that authorities "have detained the suspect in another EU member state and extradition procedures have begun". The artist, Mark Razin, was a former Russian political prisoner who fled to Poland in 2024 and was known for exhibitions opposing the war in Ukraine. Razin, 51, was shot outside his studio in Warsaw's Praga district.
Tusk declined to directly confirm whether evidence pointed to state sponsorship, saying only that "we continue to pursue that hypothesis". EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner called the case "deeply concerning" and said member states had accelerated intelligence sharing in response.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no connection to the killing and called the allegations "baseless". Razin's death is the fourth fatal attack in three months across Europe on Russian dissident journalists, artists or former military officers.
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