Russian exile artist and Putin critic shot dead in Biala Podlaska; police suspect planned killing, shooter at large
A 44-year-old Russian exile and critic of Vladimir Putin was shot multiple times on a street in Biala Podlaska on June 15. Police say the killing appears planned but the motive remains unknown and the shooter escaped.
The shooting
On June 15, a 44-year-old Russian man was shot multiple times on a street in Biala Podlaska, a town in eastern Poland about 35 kilometers from the Belarus border. Police were alerted shortly before 10:00 a.m. and confirmed the fatality later in the afternoon. The shooter escaped and remains at large. A police spokesperson for the Lublin voivodeship described the incident as appearing to be a planned killing.
When someone approaches a specific person and fires shots, everything indicates that the person intended to kill that individual. However, we do not yet know the perpetrator’s motive.
The victim
Polish authorities have not released the name of the victim. However, Russian and Belarusian opposition media identified him as Semjon Skrepetski, a 44-year-old performance artist and caricaturist who had lived in Poland since 2021. He was known for mocking Russian president Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, as well as for his sharp criticism of Russia’s war against Ukraine. His art often featured Soviet dictator Josef Stalin alongside a caricatured infant Putin.
Threats and the Berlin protest
On June 12, Russia’s national day, Skrepetski staged a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin. He pulled a Russian flag from his trousers and threw it into a trash bin, then walked with a painting depicting Stalin holding Putin as a baby. On the morning of the shooting, around 8:00 a.m., he posted on his Telegram channel that he was being threatened because of the flag action. He shared a selection of social-media reactions, including the threat:
Finding you is a matter of six seconds.
Unconfirmed leads and broader pattern
The Belarusian Telegram channel Dzik Media reported, without confirmation, that several perpetrators were involved and were transported by a Belarusian taxi driver who later fled to the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska. Polish police stated they are considering multiple scenarios. The killing comes against a backdrop of danger for Russian exiles abroad. In late April, Lithuanian authorities disclosed a complex international network tasked with carrying out assassinations on orders from Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.
- Holds a protest at the Russian embassy in Berlin, throwing a Russian flag in a trash bin and displaying a painting of Stalin with infant Putin.
- Shares threatening messages on Telegram, citing a reaction to the flag stunt.
- Shot dead in Biala Podlaska, Poland.
