'Putin hitman' seized in dramatic counter-terror raid over plot to 'kill Ukrainian rapper'

Polish counter-terror police have arrested a suspected Russian hitman in Warsaw over an alleged plot to assassinate Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner

Liam Randall News Reporter

11:37, 15 Aug 2026Updated 11:37, 15 Aug 2026

[The suspected assassin was allegedly dispatched to 'execute' rapper Slevin Dadyan (pictured)]

The suspected assassin was allegedly dispatched to 'execute' rapper Slevin Dadyan (pictured)

A suspected Russian hitman allegedly sent to "execute" a popular Ukrainian rapper has been arrested in Poland. Polish counter-terror ops swooped on the 29-year-old Russian national after claiming they had uncovered a chilling plot to assassinate Ukrainian-American star Slevin Dadyan.

The suspect was pinned down in the Mokotow district of south Warsaw by heavily armed police. Polish security services alleged he was acting directly on orders from Moscow's intelligence agencies.

Dadyan, 34, performs under the stage name Kyivstoner and previously featured in hit 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.

[Polish security services allege the suspect was acting directly on orders from Putin's intelligence agencies]

Polish security services allege the suspect was acting directly on orders from Putin's intelligence agencies(Image: Getty Images)

Ukraine has been hitting Vladimir Putin's regime with relentless drone strikes, targeting crucial logistics centres like Wildberries hubs that supply military equipment.

Dadyan denies working for Ukrainian intelligence, though he publicly supports troops fighting the invasion.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the domestic intelligence service (ABW) for smashing the hit plot at the eleventh hour.

[Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the domestic intelligence service]

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the domestic intelligence service(Image: Getty Images)

"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.

The suspected foiled assassination comes amid a surge in Russian warfare across Poland.

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Local intelligence officials report daily hostile cyberattacks, sabotage operations along critical supply routes and targeted assassinations on Polish soil.

The incidents include the shooting of anti-Putin artist Semyon Skrepetsky in Biaa Podlaska last summer.

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