A Russian artist known for criticizing President Vladimir Putin has been shot dead in Poland. Kremlin opposition figure Robert Kuzovkov, also known by his artistic name Semyon Skrepetsky, was first shot twice Monday morning by a gunman who approached him in the eastern Polish town of Biala Podlaska near the Belarusian border, according to officials and local media.
“When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator approached, fired three more shots and then quickly fled the scene,” said Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin. At least one of the five shots was to the head. “Robert K. died at the scene,” Kozak confirmed.
Two Belarusians were detained, but have not been charged. It is unclear what role they might have had in the shooting. The 44-year-old artist was murdered three days after he joined a protest in Berlin on Russia Day, which celebrates the country declaring sovereignty before the Soviet Union collapsed, the news outlet Meduza reported.
“The victim engaged in public artistic activities and used, among other things, the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, under which he expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian Federation authorities,” said Kozak, the prosecutor’s office spokesperson.
