Russian artist who regularly mocked Putin is shot dead in Poland in 'execution'

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and WILL STEWART Published: 10:18, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 10:25, 16 June 2026 A Russian artist who regularly mocked Vladimir Putin and his cronies has been shot dead in Poland in what is believed to have been an execution.  Exiled Semyon Skrepetsky, 44, real name Robert Kuzovkov, was known for portraying the Kremlin leader as an absurd, bloodthirsty dictator. The anti-Putin activist was gunned down in the eastern Polish city of Biała Podlaska, near the border with Belarus, soon after receiving a warning from 'Russian patriots'. Local media reported that the alleged gunman approached Kuzovkov and shot him at close range.  Medics were unable to save his life despite 'immediate resuscitation efforts'.  Polish police have since launched a manhunt for the killer amid suspicions he was killed for daring to lampoon Putin and his supporters.  A taxi driver who drove possible suspects from Warsaw was reportedly being questioned by police.  In satirical artwork, he portrayed Putin as a cruel tyrant with blood on his hands and also ridiculed the autocrat of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and the warlord leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, both close Kremlin allies. Exiled Semyon Skrepetsky, 44, real name Robert Kuzovkov, was known for portraying the Kremlin leader as an absurd, bloodthirsty dictator Polish police released CCTV image of a suspect leaving the scene after anti-Putin artist Semen Skrepetsky, 44, was shot dead in Poland In satirical artwork, he portrayed Putin as a cruel tyrant with blood on his hands  Three days before the shooting, the artist had staged a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin. He pulled a Russian flag from a slit in the back of his trousers before throwing it into a rubbish bin. Skrepetsky later protested outside the embassy, carrying a painting of Stalin holding an infant Putin. He claimed he had received 'rape threats' from pro-Putin patriots. Police spokesman Andrzej Fijołek said: 'We have established the identity of the man who was shot dead today in Biała Podlaska by an unknown man. 'The victim is a 44-year-old Russian citizen.' Appealing for public help to identify the killer, he said: 'We are doing everything to apprehend the perpetrator of the murder.' Warning of a 'planned' assassination, he said the killer 'could have changed clothes'. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to establish his identity and detain him as quickly as possible,' he said. Polish media reports highlight that the shooting 'bears all the hallmarks of a political execution', stressing Siberian-born Skrepetsky was 'an uncompromising critic of Vladimir Putin's regime, and a political refugee'. Three days before the shooting, the artist had staged a protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin The moment a suspect was detained by Polish police near the Belarusian consulate The opposition channel Nexta Live, based in Poland, claimed: 'This murder is 100 per cent an order from Russia.' Russian military Telegram channel Pozdnyakov said: 'Three days before the murder, Skrepetsky held [a protest] at the Russian embassy in Berlin. 'Most likely, they tracked him down from there and shot him like a dog.' A comment said: 'He finally pushed his luck too far, the idiot... he clearly thought he was untouchable.' Multiple Putin foes have been killed in Russia and abroad. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.