Police in Poland are investigating the execution‑style murder of 44‑year‑old Russian artist Robert K., known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.
Kuzovkov was shot dead on Monday morning in Biała Podlaska, a town about 40 km (25 miles) from the Belarusian border. He was found in a car‑park near the Belarusian consulate, five shots fired to his head, chest and back.
A spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin said the artist was approached by an unidentified gunman who fired two shots before the killer moved in and fired three more, before quickly fleeing. Five shell casings and a Geco 9 mm Luger bullet were recovered from the scene.
Police detained two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near the consulate, but their connection to the killing is still under investigation.
Skrepetsky, whose work criticised Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, had moved to Biała Podlaska in 2021 and was known for provocative caricatures.
A video posted on social media showed him at a Russia Day protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on 12 June, carrying a painting caricaturing Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin along with a Russian flag tied to his trousers.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, while the investigation continues to determine whether the killing was politically motivated.
