A Russian artist who built a reputation for mocking Vladimir Putin and his allies has been shot dead in Poland in what local reports are describing as a possible execution-style killing.
Semyon Skrepetsky, 44, whose real name was Robert Kuzovkov, was killed in the eastern Polish city of Biała Podlaska, near the border with Belarus.
The exiled Russian artist and anti-Putin activist was known for his biting satirical artwork, often portraying Putin as an absurd and bloodthirsty dictator. He also mocked Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, both close allies of the Kremlin.
Local media reported that the alleged gunman approached Kuzovkov and shot him at close range. Medics tried to save him, but he died despite immediate resuscitation efforts.
Polish police have launched a manhunt for the killer as suspicions grow that Skrepetsky may have been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of Putin and his supporters.
Authorities released a CCTV image of a suspect leaving the scene and appealed to the public for help identifying him.
Police spokesman Andrzej Fijołek confirmed the victim was a 44-year-old Russian citizen.
“We have established the identity of the man who was shot dead today in Biała Podlaska by an unknown man,” Fijołek said.
“We are doing everything to apprehend the perpetrator of the murder,” he added.
Police warned that the killing appeared to have been planned and said the suspect may have changed clothes after fleeing the scene.
“At the moment, the most important thing is to establish his identity and detain him as quickly as possible,” Fijołek said.
A taxi driver who reportedly drove possible suspects from Warsaw was also being questioned by police, according to local reports.
The shooting came just three days after Skrepetsky staged a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin.
During the protest, he pulled a Russian flag from a slit in the back of his trousers before throwing it into a trash bin. He later stood outside the embassy holding a painting of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin cradling an infant Putin.
Skrepetsky had claimed he received violent threats from pro-Putin “patriots” before his death.
Polish media reports said the shooting “bears all the hallmarks of a political execution,” noting that the Siberian-born artist was an “uncompromising critic” of Putin’s regime and a political refugee.
The Poland-based opposition channel Nexta Live went even further, claiming, “This murder is 100 per cent an order from Russia.”
A Russian military Telegram channel also linked the killing to Skrepetsky’s recent protest in Berlin, writing that he had likely been tracked from there before being shot.
Some pro-Kremlin commenters appeared to celebrate the artist’s death, with one saying he had “pushed his luck too far.”
Skrepetsky’s killing comes amid a long history of Putin critics and Kremlin opponents dying under suspicious or violent circumstances, both inside Russia and abroad.
Polish authorities have not yet publicly confirmed a motive, but the killing has already sparked fears that another outspoken critic of Moscow may have been silenced.
