WARSAW, Poland — A 44-year-old Russian artist who had been vocal in his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin was shot and killed near his home in eastern Poland on Monday, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Two Belarusian citizens, aged 37 and 33, were arrested near the Belarusian Consulate in connection with the killing, according to prosecutors.
Polish media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, though prosecutors referred to him only as Robert K. in line with Polish privacy laws. He was known for using the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky.
Through his artwork, he “expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian authorities,” prosecutors stated.
His work included satirical portraits of Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and other Russian officials, notably one piece depicting Putin being cradled by Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
On Sunday, he posted a video on his YouTube channel showing him discarding a Russian flag in a Berlin trash can on June 12, Russia’s sovereignty day.
Authorities said the artist was approached around 9:45 a.m. near his home in Biala Podlaska by an unidentified man who fired two shots, then struck him three more times at close range before fleeing. The victim died at the scene from wounds to his head, chest, and back.
Polish prosecutors have not attributed the killing to Moscow, and Poland’s Internal Security Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Russia has faced allegations of attempting to assassinate opponents abroad since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including targeting exiled activists in France and Lithuania.
German officials have also disrupted plots against the head of a Ukrainian weapons supplier and a Ukrainian military official.
In 2024, Polish authorities arrested an individual in what they described as a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected was killed in Spain, with Russian operatives named as primary suspects.
Burrows reported from London.