Reports have emerged in Poland of the murder of a Russian artist who had criticised Putin
The Polish authorities have not yet officially confirmed the identity of the victim or disclosed the motive for the crime. The case is being handled by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin and the security services.
This is according to reports in the Polish media.
According to Polish media, the shooting took place on the morning of 15 June in a residential area of the town of Biała Podlaska in eastern Poland.
The victim was a 44-year-old Russian citizen. According to media reports, the attacker approached the man and fired several shots at close range.
Polish media report that one suspect has been detained. However, some reports suggest that two attackers may have been involved.
Who might the victim have been?
According to unofficial reports in the Polish media, the victim is the Russian artist Semen Skrepetsky. This is the artist’s pseudonym; his real name is Robert Kuzovkov.
Skrepetsky was known for his satirical works criticising the Russian leadership, in particular Vladimir Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
NEXTA and SOTA also reported that Skrepetsky could be the man killed.
What is known about the artist’s latest action
On 12 June, Russia Day, Skrepetsky staged a performance in Berlin.
According to media reports, he took to the streets wearing traditional Russian bast shoes, with a Russian flag tied to his trousers and an icon-style painting depicting Stalin and Putin.
SOTA notes that with this action, the artist was mocking the Russian public holiday.
What he wrote before his murder
About an hour before his murder, Skrepetsky wrote on his Telegram channel that the Berlin protest had “gone down very well with Russian patriots” and that he was receiving threats.
There is currently no official confirmation of a link between these threats and the murder.
What is known about the suspects
Polish media report that the alleged attackers may have been driven to the scene of the crime by a taxi driver from Belarus. According to DzikMedia, he was allegedly threatened with a weapon.
One of the suspects, according to media reports, was detained in Biała Podlaska near the Belarusian consulate.
However, this information remains unconfirmed by official sources. Polish law enforcement have not publicly disclosed the motives for the crime nor confirmed the identity of the victim.
Theories from the investigation and the media
Polish media suggest that the murder may have been linked to Skrepetsky’s political views and his criticism of the Russian authorities.
However, this version has not been officially confirmed.
The investigation is being led by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin. The security services are also involved in the case.
According to media reports, Semen Skrepetsky left Russia for political reasons and was living abroad.
His work was directed against authoritarian leaders, Russian propaganda and the war against Ukraine.
The murder in Poland took place a few days after his public performance in Berlin, but the investigation has not yet officially established a motive for the crime.
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