Robert Kuzovkov, a 44-year-old Russian artist known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was fatally shot Monday morning in Biała Podlaska, a Polish city near the Belarusian border [1, 2, 3, 4]. The attack occurred in a car park approximately 600 meters from the Belarusian consulate [1, 3, 4].
An unidentified gunman fired five shots at Skrepetsky, striking him in the head, chest, and back. According to Marcin Kozak, a spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, "When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator approached, fired three more shots and then quickly fled the scene. Robert K died at the scene" [1]. Five shell casings and one 9mm Luger bullet were recovered at the crime scene [1, 3].
Two Belarusian men aged 33 and 37 were detained near the consulate shortly after the shooting. Authorities said their role is under investigation [1, 2, 3]. Polish prosecutors and police have launched an investigation but have not confirmed a motive or direct Russian state involvement [2, 4].
Skrepetsky had lived in Biała Podlaska since 2021 [1, 3, 4]. He was a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Ramzan Kadyrov, and other Russian and Belarusian officials through his caricatures [1, 2, 3, 4]. Three days before his death, on June 12, he staged a protest at the Russian embassy in Berlin, carrying caricatures of Putin and Stalin alongside a Russian flag [1, 2, 3, 4].
Polish police spokesman Andrzej Fijolek said, "If someone approaches a specific person on the street and fires shots, everything indicates they planned to kill them" [4]. The killing occurs amid heightened tensions between Poland, Russia, and Belarus, with Poland accusing the two countries of hybrid operations including sabotage and disinformation [2, 4].
Authorities have scheduled an autopsy on June 16 and continue investigating the case [1, 2, 3, 4].
