Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Poland

Police in Poland are investigating the murder of a Russian artist and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Polish prosecutors said Robert K, known as the artist Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot dead on Monday morning in the Polish town of Biała Podlaska, about 40km (25 miles) from the Belarusian border.

The 44-year-old was shot five times in the head, chest and back in a car park in the town, located about 600m (2,000ft) from the Belarusian consulate.

Semyon Skrepetsky was the pseudonym used by Robert Kuzovkov. He was known for his caricatures of politicians, including Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Police have detained two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near the Belarusian consulate in the town and their role in the incident is still being determined, says Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the district prosecutor’s office in the eastern city of Lublin.

Skrepetsky was given asylum in Biała Podlaska, a small town with a population of less than 60,000, after he left Russia in 2021 fearing criminal prosecution.

Kozak said the artist was approached by an unidentified gunman who fired two shots at him.

“When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator approached, fired three more shots and then quickly fled the scene. Robert K died at the scene,” he added.

Five shell casings and one Geco 9mm Luger bullet were recovered from the crime scene, Kozak said.

A post mortem examination has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Belarusian artist Vladislav Bokhan, who knew Skrepetsky, said he had found out about the shooting from Polish radio and immediately felt concerned: “I thought, that’s where Skrepetsky lives. I know it’s a very small town.”

“The victim engaged in public artistic activities and used among other things, the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, under which he expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian Federation authorities,” Kozak said.

Skrepetsky’s satirical cartoons had depicted Putin in the arms of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Lukashenko as Adolf Hitler with a bucket of potatoes and Kadyrov and his son Adam with pigs’ snouts.

He had also mocked Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny as well as ordinary Ukrainians and his Polish address was freely available online. His work was posted on Telegram and on his YouTube channel.

Skrepetsky is survived in Poland by his wife and five children.

Video posted on social media the night before his death showed the artist attending a Russia Day protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on Friday.

He had been carrying a painting caricaturing Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, as well as a Russian flag tied to his trousers that had been dragging along the road.

“I kept telling him: ‘Mate, they’re going to come for you, they’re going to come for you, they’re going to come for you. Please be prepared, always stay alert,” Bulat Subkhankulov, a friend of Skrepetsky, told the BBC.

Subkhankulov believes he had become carried away. “I kept telling him that it could end badly… Eventually I realised there was no point. That’s just the kind of guy he was: completely reckless and stubborn.”