Russian artist critical of Putin and Kadyrov shot dead in Poland

A Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot and killed in ⁠the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor has said.

Five shots were fired at the ⁠victim, including one ⁠to the head, in the attack on Monday, ​said Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin. Two Belarusians ⁠have been detained but not charged in connection with the case, he added.

Local media identified the victim as Robert ⁠Kuzovkov, who was also known by his artistic pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian ​artist and performer known for ‌his criticism of the Russian ‌leader. Kozak confirmed that the victim ‌had been engaged in artistic activity in which he expressed criticism of the current actions of Russian authorities.

The Belarusian opposition Telegram channel DzikMedia, citing unnamed sources, reported that an unidentified man had attempted to scale the fence of the country’s consulate in Biała Podlaska while fleeing police, but was apprehended.

Three days before he was killed, Skrepetsky had travelled to Berlin on Russia Day, a 12 June holiday marking the country’s declaration of sovereignty before the ‌collapse of the Soviet Union, where he staged a protest with an icon-like caricature of Joseph Stalin and Putin, according ​to the Meduza news outlet.

The identity of the victim would be a key element for the investigation, Kozak said.

Poland says its role as a hub for military and other supplies to Ukraine has made ⁠it a target for Russian spies trying to gather information on ​support for Kyiv’s ​effort to repel Russia’s invasion, ​as well as engage in acts of sabotage.

The Russian ​embassy in Warsaw ‌was not ​available for comment. ​Jacek Dobrzyński, a spokesperson for Poland’s special services minister, said the Internal Security Agency had been cooperating closely with police and prosecutors on the matter.

A relatively unknown figure in Russian émigré artistic circles, Skrepetsky was born in Russia’s Altai region and lived there until 2021, when he left for Poland citing fears of political persecution.

He produced satirical caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov, the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Moscow has previously targeted critics abroad, but some Russian artists and commentators in exile said they believed the killing bore the hallmarks of an operation ordered by Kadyrov.

Skrepetsky had published numerous paintings and videos mocking Kadyrov, his son Adam, and Apti Alaudinov, the commander of the Akhmat special forces unit. Two days before his death, he reposted a painting he had created depicting Ramzan and Adam Kadyrov as pigs.

“The murder of an artist is a terrible event. I hope there will be an investigation, although I’m almost certain it was one Chechen ‘Don’,” wrote Marat Gelman, a prominent Russian art collector living abroad, in reference to Kadyrov’s trademark use of the word “Don”.

Kadyrov, who has built a highly personalised and repressive system in Chechnya, has been accused of pursuing critics beyond Russia’s borders. Investigators and human rights groups have linked his associates to a number of attacks and assassination plots in Europe.

Reuters contributed to this report