Polish PM says Russian dissident artist's murder likely political assassination

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on June 17 that "everything indicates" the June 15 murder of Russian dissident artist Robert Kuzovkov (pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky) in Biala Podlaska, Poland, was a political killing. Kuzovkov, 44, a father of five, was shot three times in broad daylight. He had moved to Poland in 2021 and created grotesque caricatures mocking figures including Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexei Navalny, and Volodymyr Zelensky. One image depicted baby Putin in Stalin's arms modeled on Russian Orthodox icons. Kuzovkov frequently posted his work on Telegram and had protested outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on June 14. His last post on June 15 showed screenshots of threats. Two Belarusian men detained after the murder have been released. Biala Podlaska is about 30km from the Belarusian border. Kuzovkov had reportedly declined protection from Poland's Internal Security Agency. Russian state news agencies Tass and Ria Novosti covered the killing; Ria Novosti omitted mention of his Putin and Kadyrov caricatures but noted his listing on Myrotvorets, a site tracking those deemed anti-Ukraine. Crimea Vox highlighted his defense of Indigenous peoples and his ethnic Bashkir background.