Russian Performance Artist Semyon Skrepetsky Killed in Poland

Russian performance artist Semyon Skrepetsky has been killed in the Polish city of Biała Podlaska, according to Belarusian opposition and Polish media. Police have not officially released the victim's name, only stating that he was a 44-year-old Russian citizen. The shooting occurred in a parking lot near a residential complex.

Polish TV channel wPolsce24 reports that the shooter fired multiple times at close range. Paramedics were unable to save Skrepetsky. Following the murder, police blocked streets and exits from the city and secured schools and kindergartens where the victim's children might have been.

According to the channel, there were likely two attackers. One of them was detained near the Belarusian consulate in Biała Podlaska. Unofficial sources say he is a Belarusian citizen.

Semyon Skrepetsky (real name Robert Kuzovkov) was born in Altai and known for his caricatures of politicians. He drew ironic portraits of Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Ramzan Kadyrov, and Alexei Navalny. Skrepetsky also criticized Ukrainian authorities and was listed in Ukraine's "Myrotvorets" database.

One of his last actions took place on June 12. On Russia Day, he held a picket in Berlin with an icon-like caricature of Stalin and Putin. The artist had been living in Poland since 2021.