A Russian artist known for his criticism of President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been shot and killed in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, according to a prosecutor.
Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin, said five shots were fired at the victim, including one to the head, in the attack on Monday. Two Belarusians have been detained but not charged in connection with the case.
Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, who also used the artistic pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky. Kozak confirmed that the victim had been engaged in artistic activity expressing criticism of the current actions of Russian authorities.
The Belarusian opposition Telegram channel DzikMedia, citing unnamed sources, reported that an unidentified man attempted to scale the fence of the country's consulate in Biała Podlaska while fleeing police but was apprehended.
Three days before his death, Skrepetsky traveled to Berlin on Russia Day, a 12 June holiday marking Russia's declaration of sovereignty before the Soviet Union's collapse. There, he staged a protest with an icon-like caricature of Joseph Stalin and Putin, according to the Meduza news outlet.
Poland, a hub for military and other supplies to Ukraine, has been a target for Russian spies attempting to gather information on support for Kyiv and engage in sabotage. The Russian embassy in Warsaw was not available for comment. Jacek Dobrzyński, a spokesperson for Poland's special services minister, said the Internal Security Agency has been cooperating closely with police and prosecutors.
Skrepetsky was a relatively unknown figure in Russian émigré artistic circles. Born in Russia's Altai region, he lived there until 2021 when he left for Poland citing fears of political persecution. He produced satirical caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov, the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Moscow has previously targeted critics abroad, but some Russian artists and commentators in exile said they believed the killing bore the hallmarks of an operation ordered by Kadyrov. Skrepetsky had published numerous paintings and videos mocking Kadyrov, his son Adam, and Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces unit. Two days before his death, he reposted a painting depicting Ramzan and Adam Kadyrov as pigs.
Marat Gelman, a prominent Russian art collector living abroad, wrote: 'The murder of an artist is a terrible event. I hope there will be an investigation, although I'm almost certain it was one Chechen 'Don',' referencing Kadyrov's trademark use of the word 'Don'.
Kadyrov, who has built a highly personalized and repressive system in Chechnya, has been accused of pursuing critics beyond Russia's borders. Investigators and human rights groups have linked his associates to several attacks and assassination plots in Europe.
