Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Poland

Police in Poland are investigating the execution-style murder of a Russian artist and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Polish prosecutors said Robert K, known as the artist Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot dead on Monday morning in the Polish city of Biała Podlaska, about 40km (25 miles) from the Belarusian border.

The 44-year-old was shot five times in the head, chest and back in a car park in the city, located about 600m from the Belarusian consulate.

Semyon Skrepetsky was the pseudonym used by Robert Kuzovkov. He was known for his caricatures of politicians, including Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, said the artist was approached by an unidentified gunman who fired two shots at him.

"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," he added.

Five shell casings and one Geco 9mm Luger bullet were recovered from the crime scene, Kozak said.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Police detained two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near the Belarusian consulate in the city. Their role in the incident was still being determined, Kozak said.

Media reports said Skrepetsky moved to Biała Podlaska in 2021.

"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 said.

Video posted recently on social media showed Skrepetsky at a Russia Day protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on 12 June.

He had been carrying a painting caricaturing Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, as well as a Russian flag tied to his trousers that had been dragging along the road.