Russian opposition artist Robert Kuzovkov shot dead in exile in Poland

Polish authorities are investigating the murder of a 44-year-old Russian artist and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, who was shot dead in a car park in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska. The artist, Robert Kuzovkov, who used the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was killed on Monday morning in a town located about 40km (25 miles) from the Belarusian border. According to prosecutors, he was shot five times at close range, including in the head, chest and back, just 600 metres from the Belarusian consulate.

Two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, have been detained near the consulate, though their role in the incident remains under investigation, said Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the district prosecutor's office in Lublin. Kozak described the attack, saying the gunman initially fired two shots; after the victim fell, the perpetrator approached and fired three more shots before fleeing. Five shell casings and one Geco 9mm Luger bullet were recovered from the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Kuzovkov had been granted asylum in Biała Podlaska after leaving Russia in 2021, fearing criminal prosecution for his work. He was known for provocative political caricatures targeting Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and others. In one of his final acts, on 12 June he staged a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, where he pulled a Russian flag from his pocket and threw it in a bin, wearing a T-shirt depicting Putin sitting on a pile of skulls.

Friends and fellow artists expressed shock and a sense of foreboding. Belarusian artist Vladislav Bokhan, who knew Skrepetsky, said he feared for his safety. Bulat Subkhankulov, a friend, told the BBC: "I kept telling him: 'Mate, they're going to come for you... Please be prepared, always stay alert.'" He described Kuzovkov as "completely reckless and stubborn."

The killing has raised concerns about the safety of exiled Russian opposition figures. Kuzovkov is survived by his wife and five children in Poland.