Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Polish town near Belarus border

A 44‑year‑old Russian artist, better known by the satirical pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was found shot dead on Monday morning in a parking lot in Biała Podlaska, 40 km from Poland’s border with Belarus. The victim, Robert Kuzovkov, was killed by five shots to the head, chest and back, police said after a police investigation had confirmed he was shot outside the Belarus consulate.

The killer approached first, fired two shots at the artist, who fell to the ground, then fired three more as he fled. Authorities recovered five shell casings and one Geco 9mm Luger bullet at the scene. The case is now under the jurisdiction of the Biała Podlaska district prosecutor’s office, which stated that two Belarusian citizens – aged 33 and 37 – have been detained near the consulate in connection with the incident, though their exact role remains unclear.

Skrepetsky had earned notoriety for his political cartoonery, where he lampooned Russian leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen commander Ramzan Kadyrov. His works, available on Telegram and YouTube, drew ridicule for equating Putin with Joseph Stalin, Lukashenko with Adolf Hitler and demeaning Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. He also spent nights in Poland, living in a small town with fewer than 60,000 residents, after fleeing the Russian authorities in 2021.

The art community in Poland has expressed shock at the killing, and reactions have spread online. In a video seen by the BBC, the artist was shown walking with his painting of a caricature of Putin and Stalin on a Russian flag tied to his trousers, just days before the attack. Friends of the deceased had warned him repeatedly about possible threats, telling him to be always vigilant.

Skrepetsky’s family, including a wife and five children, has been notified and will keep a private memorial. The post‑mortem examination is scheduled for Wednesday, and later this week investigators will race to identify and prosecute those responsible.

For more details, see the BBC feature on his work and his disappearance from Russia: BBC story on Semyon Skrepetsky.