Russian artist Robert Kuzovkov, also known under the name Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot and killed on Monday in Biała Podlaska, in eastern Poland. According to ArtReview, two Belarusian citizens have been taken into custody but have not yet been formally charged, with one reportedly detained near the Belarusian consulate. The victim sustained five gunshot wounds, the UK’s Telegraph reports.
Skrepetsky worked as an artist and performer and became known for his sharp, provocative depictions of Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov, and Moscow Patriarch Kirill. At the same time, his work also drew criticism toward Ukrainian authorities, as well as Russian opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya, along with activist Maxim Katz, whose YouTube channel criticizing the Russian government has nearly 2.5 million subscribers.
While a police spokesperson told Polish broadcaster TVN that the motive behind the killing remains unclear, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested on Wednesday that it was likely a politically driven assassination, according to France24. The outlet also notes that opponents of Russian authorities have previously been killed in countries such as the UK, Germany, and Lithuania.
Marcin Kozak, spokesperson for the district prosecutor’s office in Lublin, was quoted by the Telegraph describing how an unknown assailant fired three shots from a handgun and then, as the victim collapsed, stepped closer and fired two additional rounds at close range. An autopsy indicated five entry wounds and two exit wounds in the head and chest area. Police also reportedly dispatched officers to schools and nurseries attended by the artist’s children as a precaution.
The artist had been living in Poland since 2021 after expressing fear of political persecution. Just days before his death, he was in Berlin, where he performed outside the Russian embassy holding a striking image: a smiling Joseph Stalin cradling an infant Vladimir Putin in a composition reminiscent of Orthodox iconography, with both figures shown with blood at their mouths. According to the Telegraph, he also pulled a Russian flag from his trousers and discarded it into a trash bin.
He also visited Italy during the preview week of the Venice Biennale, where a Getty image captured him presenting two works satirizing Putin. At the same time, groups such as Pussy Riot and FEMEN held protests outside the Russia pavilion, challenging the country’s participation amid ongoing controversy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Telegraph further notes that after his Berlin performance, Skrepetsky joked on his Telegram channel (reportedly since deleted) that the act had been “very popular with Russian patriots,” and added that he had received threats of rape. ArtReview also reports that, just hours before his death, he published images of threats he had received from Russian individuals. He was additionally listed in the Myrotvorets database, which identifies people considered “enemies of Ukraine,” and his entry has reportedly since been updated to mark him as “liquidated.”
