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Authorities have detained two Belarusian citizens, though their possible roles in the killing ar still being investigated.
Speaking out against powerful regimes is always a dangerous game. Moving across borders offers safety, but sometimes the shadows of the past catch up in a brutal way.
A peaceful morning in eastern Poland shattered into a murder investigation on Monday, as the prominent Russian artist and Putin critic Robert Kuzovkov was shot dead in an execution-style murder, the BBC and The Guardian reports.
The killing took place in Biała Podlaska, a city just 40 kilometers from the Belarusian border.
Investigators revealed the attack happened in a car park merely 600 meters from the Belarusian consulate.
The victim was 44-year-old Robert Kuzovkov, known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky. He was famous for sharp caricatures mocking figures like Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Details of the morning assassination point to a professional hit. Marcin Kozak, a spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin, explained how the attack unfolded.
A cold execution
“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,” Kozak stated.
The gunman shot Kuzovkov five times in the head, chest, and back. Forensic teams recovered five shell casings and a single Geco 9mm Luger bullet from the scene. An autopsy is set for Wednesday.
Officers detained two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near the consulate. Kozak noted that their exact roles are still being determined.
Dangerous political art
Media reports show that the artist relocated to Poland in 2021. He regularly used his creative talents to challenge the Kremlin, making him a highly visible political target.
“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,” Kozak explained.
His political defiance remained active until his final days. Just before the attack, recent video footage captured him participating in a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on June 12.
He carried a painting lampooning Putin and Joseph Stalin while dragging a Russian flag tied to his trousers along the road.
