A Russian artist and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin has been assassinated in Poland, in what Western officials are calling a brazen act of state-sponsored murder. The victim, identified as Dmitry Volkov, 42, was shot dead outside his apartment in Warsaw on Tuesday evening. Polish authorities have launched a manhunt for the attackers, who fled the scene on motorcycles.
Volkov, a painter and activist known for his anti-Kremlin murals, had been living in Poland since 2020 after receiving death threats in Russia. He had recently completed a series of works criticising the invasion of Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki condemned the killing as an act of Russian aggression on European soil.
'This is a violation of Polish sovereignty and a direct challenge to the international order,' he said. NATO and EU officials expressed alarm, with the European Council president calling for a robust response. The Kremlin has denied any involvement, calling the accusations 'baseless provocation'.
However, intelligence sources point to a pattern of assassinations and attempted poisonings of Russian dissidents abroad, including the 2018 Skripal case in Salisbury. Volkov's death raises questions about the safety of exiled opposition figures in Europe and the West's ability to deter Moscow's covert operations. Poland has requested an emergency meeting of NATO's North Atlantic Council.
The investigation is ongoing, with Polish police working alongside EU counter-terrorism units.
