Media: Russian artist and critic of Putin and Kadyrov killed in Poland

A Russian artist, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot dead in the eastern Polish city of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor said, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.

In Monday's attack, the victim was shot five times, including once in the head, said Marcin Kozak, a spokesman for the Lublin district prosecutor's office. He added that two Belarusians had been detained in connection with the case, but no charges had been filed against them.

Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, also known by his stage name Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian artist and performer known for his criticism of the Russian leader. Kozak confirmed that the victim was engaged in artistic work through which he expressed criticism of the current actions of the Russian authorities.

Belarusian opposition Telegram channel DzikMedia, citing unnamed sources, reported that an unidentified man tried to jump over the fence of the country's consulate in Biała Podlaska while fleeing from police, but was caught.

Three days before he was killed, Skrepetsky traveled to Berlin for Russia Day, a holiday celebrated on June 12th to mark the country's declaration of sovereignty before the collapse of the Soviet Union, where he organized a protest with an iconic caricature of Joseph Stalin and Putin, the Meduza portal reported.

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

Poland alleges that because of its role as a hub for military and other aid to Ukraine, it has become a target of Russian spies who are trying to gather information about Kiev's support in repelling the Russian invasion, as well as to carry out sabotage.

The Russian embassy in Warsaw was not available for comment.

Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for the Polish Minister for Special Services, said the Internal Security Agency is working closely with the police and prosecutors on the case.

Relatively unknown in Russian émigré art circles, Skrepecki was born in Russia's Altai Krai and lived there until 2021, when he left for Poland, citing fear of political persecution.

He created satirical caricatures of Putin, Kadyrov, the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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

"The murder of the artist is a terrible event. I hope there will be an investigation, although I am almost certain it was a Chechen 'Don'," wrote Marat Gelman, a prominent Russian art collector living abroad, alluding to Kadyrov's signature use of the word "Don."

Kadyrov, who built a highly personalized and repressive system in Chechnya, has been accused of persecuting critics outside Russia's borders. Investigators and human rights organizations have linked his associates to a series of attacks and assassination plots in Europe.