Polish counter-terror police have arrested a suspected Russian hitman in Warsaw over an alleged plot to assassinate Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner, also known as Slevin Dadyan. The 29-year-old Russian national was detained in the Mokotow district of south Warsaw by heavily armed officers.
Alleged orders from Moscow
Polish security services allege the suspect was acting directly on orders from Moscow's intelligence agencies. The rapper, 34, performs under the stage name Kyivstoner and previously featured in the band Hryby. Russia's FSB recently branded him an extremist, claiming he masterminded "logistics of delivering drones to the Moscow region" via a pipeline running through Slovakia, Poland, and Belarus.
Dadyan denies working for Ukrainian intelligence, though he publicly supports troops fighting the invasion. Ukraine has been conducting relentless drone strikes against Russian logistics centres, including Wildberries hubs that supply military equipment.
Prime Minister praises security services
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the domestic intelligence service (ABW) for foiling the plot. "We must assume that the Putin regime will try to eliminate people who are inconvenient [to it] for various reasons, in various places around the world," Tusk said, confirming the case remains live, with US agencies aiding the probe.
The rapper built a massive following through viral comedy videos before launching his solo rap and film career. He spent years living in Moscow before fleeing to the US and later Slovakia when Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022.
Rising Russian warfare in Poland
The suspected foiled assassination comes amid a surge in Russian warfare across Poland. Local intelligence officials report daily hostile cyberattacks, sabotage operations along critical supply routes, and targeted assassinations on Polish soil. These incidents include the shooting of anti-Putin artist Semyon Skrepetsky in Biała Podlaska last summer.
