Russian artist critical of Putin shot dead in Poland: Two Belarusians arrested
Robert Kouzovkov, 44, known by his stage name Semion Skrepetski, was shot at point-blank range Monday in the town of Biala Podlaska.
(Voz / Christian Camacho)
A Russian cartoonist critical of President Vladimir Putin was shot dead Monday in eastern Poland, and two Belarusians were detained, the Polish prosecutor’s office and police reported Tuesday.
Robert Kouzovkov, 44, known by the stage name Semion Skrepetski, was shot at point-blank range Monday in Biala Podlaska, prompting "an investigation," said local prosecutor’s office spokesman Marcin Kozak.
The suspects were arrested near the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska, in eastern Poland, where the murder took place.
"An investigation is being conducted... into the murder of a 44-year-old citizen of the Russian Federation... known in the media as Semyon Skrepetsky," the spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, Marcin Kozak, told journalists.
According to Polish authorities, Skrepetsky, whose real name is Robert Kuzovov, was shot three times Monday morning by an unidentified gunman armed with a handgun.
When the artist fell to the ground, the assailant approached him and shot him twice more at point-blank range.
"No charges have been brought" against the two detained Belarusians, Kozak said, adding that "they remain at the disposal of the prosecutor's office and the police."
Skrepetsky's cartoons
One of his best-known works reinterprets a classic Orthodox icon, depicting Stalin cradling Putin instead of the Mother of God holding the infant Jesus.
Skrepetsky moved to Poland in 2021, saying he feared political persecution in Russia.
In exile, he maintained a nonconformist stance, attending Russian opposition events while openly criticizing the opposition itself.
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