Russian Dissident Artist Shot Dead in Eastern Poland
Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian dissident artist and blogger, was shot dead in Biala Podlaska, Poland. Two Belarusian citizens have been detained in connection with the murder.
Polish authorities reported on Tuesday that a Russian dissident artist and blogger, known for his political caricatures of President Vladimir Putin, was shot and killed in eastern Poland.
The victim, Semyon Skrepetsky (real name Robert Kuzovkov), was shot multiple times at close range on Monday morning in a parking lot in Biala Podlaska, a city about 30 kilometers from the Belarusian border.
A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said two Belarusian citizens were detained "in the course of extensive police operations" near the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska. No charges have been filed yet, and the investigation is ongoing.
Skrepetsky, a native of Russia's Altai region, immigrated to Poland in 2021 to avoid political persecution. He specialized in neo-primitivist art and political satire, targeting high-profile figures including Putin, Stalin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and even late opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
According to the exiled investigative outlet IStories, Skrepetsky was a polarizing figure who frequently attended and criticized Russian opposition rallies in Europe. Three days before his death, on Russia Day (June 12), he staged a picket outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin, holding a satirical painting depicting Stalin holding a baby Putin.
Hours before the shooting, Skrepetsky wrote on his Telegram channel that he had received threats from users demanding retribution for his performance. His personal information had previously been added to Myrotvorets, an unofficial Ukrainian database of individuals deemed "enemies of Ukraine." Following his death, his profile photo on the database was updated with the word "liquidated" stamped in red.
