Russian satirical artist shot dead in Poland, two Belarusians held
Semyon Skrepetsky, a 44-year-old Russian caricaturist who fled to Poland in 2021 and was known for provocative images of Vladimir Putin, was shot dead Monday in the eastern town of Biala Podlaska. Two Belarusian nationals were arrested near the scene, prosecutors said.
The killing
Semyon Skrepetsky, whose legal name was Robert Kuzovkov, was shot five times on a parking lot about 600 metres from the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska on the morning of 15 June, according to Polish prosecutors. A Geco 9 mm Luger round and five casings were recovered at the scene. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for 17 June.
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 attacker, who remains unidentified, fired three times, then approached the fallen artist and fired two more rounds at close range. The victim sustained wounds to the head, chest, and back and died at the site.
The artist
Skrepetsky built a reputation with caricatures that lampooned senior Russian political figures. One widely shared work recast a classic Orthodox icon: Stalin holding Putin as the Virgin Mary cradles the infant Jesus. His targets also included Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The prosecutor confirmed that the artist "was engaged in artistic activity in which he expressed criticism of the current actions of the authorities of the Russian Federation."
Skrepetsky relocated to Poland in 2021, citing fear of political persecution in Russia. Three days before his killing, on 12 June, he travelled to Berlin for Russia Day, where video showed him carrying the Stalin-Putin icon outside the Russian embassy and dragging a Russian flag attached to his trousers along the pavement.
Investigation and arrests
Shortly after the shooting, Polish police detained two Belarusian men, aged 33 and 37, near the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska. No charges have been filed yet, and their exact role is still under investigation, the Lublin district prosecutor’s office said. The Internal Security Agency (ABW) has been working closely with prosecutors and ordinary police, according to a spokesman for the minister responsible for special services.
The Internal Security Agency had been cooperating closely with police and prosecutors on the matter.
- Skrepetsky protests outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on Russia Day, carrying his caricature of Stalin and Putin.
- Shot five times on a parking lot in Biala Podlaska, about 600 m from the Belarusian consulate; dies at the scene.
- Two Belarusian nationals detained near the consulate shortly after the attack.
- Autopsy scheduled, according to the Lublin district prosecutor’s office.
Broader tensions
Poland’s position as a logistics hub for military and other aid to Ukraine has made it a persistent target of Russian espionage and sabotage attempts, officials have repeatedly stated. The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The investigation into the killing of a Russian exile known for mocking the Kremlin is likely to intensify scrutiny of security in the country’s eastern border region.
