In brief
Police in Poland are investigating the murder of Russian artist Semyon Skrepetsky, who was shot five times outside the Belarusian consulate in Biała Podlaska. The crime, deemed execution‑style, involved an unidentified gunman who fired multiple shots before fleeing. Investigators found five shell casings and a 9mm Geco bullet at the scene and detained two Belarusian nationals near the consulate. Skrepetsky, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, had recently protested outside the Russian embassy in Berlin. An autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.
Russian artist and critic of Vladimir Putin shot dead in Poland
Police in Poland are investigating an execution‑style murder, in which 44‑year‑old Russian artist and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin was shot dead in the city of Biała Podlaska, approximately 600 m from the Belarusian consulate.
The victim, using the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky (Robert Kuzovkov), was known for caricatures of Russian leaders including Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov.
Authorities say he was shot five times—once in the head, twice in the chest and twice in the back—in a car‑park on Monday morning. The gunman fired an initial pair of shots before the artist fell; after that, he fired three additional shots and fled the scene. Five shell casings and a Geco 9mm bullet were collected at the property.
Two Belarusian nationals, aged 33 and 37, were detained near the consulate, though investigators are still determining their role in the incident.
The artist had recently appeared in Berlin at a Russia‑Day protest, carrying a painting caricaturing Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, as well as a Russian flag tied to his trousers.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, and officials are treating the case as a politically motivated execution.
