Today at 15:14
European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius warned that Russia will continue carrying out provocations against Europe, particularly following the high-profile murder of Russian opposition artist Semyon Skrepetsky, who lived in Poland.
According to Euronews, as reported by UATV English, Kubilius said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly desperate because of setbacks in the war against Ukraine, and therefore Europe must be prepared for potential incidents on its territory.
“Provocations against the Baltic states and the eastern flank are also intensifying,” Kubilius said at the European Defence and Security Summit in Brussels.
In this context, the commissioner referred to the murder of the Russian artist who lived in Poland, claiming that he had been persecuted “because of his paintings about Putin.”
“Unfortunately, there may be more such attacks—and even worse ones. Not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe,” Kubilius warned.
The official cautioned that if the 27 member states of the European Union fail to take Russian threats seriously and do not develop the necessary defense capabilities, new shocks could follow.
“Putin still poses a threat to European security. Putin still wants and is capable of testing Article 5. The question is: do we want and are we able to defend ourselves and deter aggression?” Kubilius stated.
As previously reported, the murder of the Russian artist, known for his criticism of Putin, took place on the morning of June 15 in a residential district of Biała Podlaska in Poland’s Lublin Voivodeship.
The attacker approached the victim and fired two shots. After the man fell to the ground, the killer approached and fired three more shots at close range.
On June 18, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the arrest of a suspect in the case. A 36-year-old Georgian citizen was taken into custody.
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