Exiled Russian Artist Shot Dead in Poland, Two Belarusian Men Detained
Russian painter Robert Kuzovkov was killed outside his home in Biala Podlaska, Poland, and police have taken two Belarusian suspects into custody.
An exiled Russian artist known for satirizing President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders was shot dead outside his residence in the eastern Polish city of Biala Podlaska on Monday, prosecutors said. The victim, identified as 44-year-old Robert Kuzovkov, was hit multiple times in the head and torso, according to Marcin Kozak, a press officer for the Lublin prosecutor’s office. Kuzovkov, who worked under the pseudonym Simon Skrepetski, used his art to criticize Russian authorities, the prosecutor’s statement added.
Police detained two men, aged 33 and 37, near the Belarusian consulate in Biala Podlaska, a city less than 20 miles from the Belarus border. Officials have not disclosed further details about the suspects or the motive behind the killing.
Kuzovkov’s online portfolio included caricatures of leaders such as Putin, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The case occurs amid a broader pattern of attacks on Russian dissidents, though authorities have not linked the incident to any specific organization.
"The investigation is ongoing, and we are pursuing all leads to determine who is responsible," said a spokesperson for the Polish prosecutor’s office.