News · Verified

Russian Artist Critical of Putin Shot Dead in Eastern Poland

2026-06-16

🤖 AI-generated Verified Confidence 95/100

Written & fact-checked by AI (qwen/qwen3-next-80b) on 2026-06-16. Each claim is verified against ≥2 independent sources.

Source mix — left 5 · center 10 · right 0 · primary 0

Verified claims & sources (5)

Robert Kuzovkov, also known as Semyon Skrepetsky, was a Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov. ✓ cross-checked 2026-06-16
- BBC (center)
- The Guardian (left)
- Deutsche Welle (center)
He was shot dead in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska. ✓ cross-checked 2026-06-16
- BBC (center)
- The Guardian (left)
- Deutsche Welle (center)
Five shots were fired at him during the attack, including one to the head. ✓ cross-checked 2026-06-16
- BBC (center)
- The Guardian (left)
- Deutsche Welle (center)
Two Belarusians have been detained but not charged in connection with the shooting. ✓ cross-checked 2026-06-16
- BBC (center)
- The Guardian (left)
- Deutsche Welle (center)
Three days before his death, he protested outside the Russian embassy in Berlin holding a caricature of Putin and Stalin. ✓ cross-checked 2026-06-16
- BBC (center)
- The Guardian (left)
- Deutsche Welle (center)

Robert Kuzovkov, also known as Semyon Skrepetsky, was a Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov who was shot dead in Biała Podlaska, a town located in eastern Poland.

Polish law enforcement authorities are conducting an investigation into the shooting. Five shots were fired at him during the attack, including one to the head.

In response to the shooting, police detained two individuals connected to the case who are Belarusian nationals. Authorities have confirmed that the detainees remain in custody but have not been formally charged with any crimes at this stage of the investigation.

Three days prior to the shooting, the artist protested outside the Russian embassy in Berlin holding a caricature depicting Vladimir Putin and Joseph Stalin.