A Russian artist known for satirizing President Vladimir Putin has been shot dead in Poland, authorities said Tuesday.
Local media have identified the victim of Monday’s attack as Robert Kuzovkov, also known by his artistic pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky.
The Lublin district prosecutor said three shots were fired at the victim on Monday.
When the victim fell to the ground, the attacker approached him, who fired two more shots at close range.
The spokesman said two Belarusian citizens have been detained in connection with the case, but have not been charged.
Who was Semyon Skrepetsky?
Skrepetsky was a visual artist who made his name with provocative caricatures of Putin as well as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
But he also directed his satire at the Russian opposition, including a satire of Alexei Navalny.
Born in a village in Russia’s Altai Republic, Skrepetsky had been living in exile in Poland since 2021.
Three days before he was killed, the artist traveled to Berlin on Russia Day.
In Berlin, they protested outside the Russian embassy carrying icon-like caricatures of both Stalin and Putin.
Edited by: Rana Taha