Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared Wednesday that the fatal shooting of a Russian artist who openly criticized President Vladimir Putin appears to carry all the signs of a politically motivated killing.
The victim, Robert Kuzovkov — who worked under the artist name Semyon Skrepetsky — was shot at close range near his residence in Biala Podlaska, a city in eastern Poland, on Monday, according to statements from prosecutors released Tuesday.
“Everything points to this being a political murder,” Tusk told reporters at a news briefing in Warsaw. “But we must wait for evidence or more concrete indications. Because if that was the case — if it was ordered by Russia — then it is an extremely serious matter internationally. It would constitute state terrorism.”
Polish authorities initially took two Belarusian nationals into custody, but Tusk confirmed Tuesday that both had been released after investigators found no direct evidence linking them to the killing.
Tusk noted that law enforcement is continuing to build its case and acknowledged the complexity of the investigation.
“The case is difficult. If there’s a hired killer involved, it’s unfortunately not easy to identify such a person,” Tusk said. He also revealed that Polish authorities had previously offered the artist protective security, which Skrepetsky declined.
Polish prosecutors stated that through his work, Skrepetsky “expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian authorities.” His paintings included unflattering depictions of Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and other senior Russian officials. Among his works was a painting showing Putin cradled in the arms of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Just the day before his death, on Sunday, Skrepetsky posted a video to his YouTube channel showing him in Berlin placing a Russian flag into a trash can — a symbolic act timed to June 12, the holiday commemorating Russian sovereignty.
According to prosecutors, an unidentified man approached the artist near his home at approximately 9:45 a.m. Monday, fired two shots, then shot him three additional times at close range before fleeing the scene. The artist died from gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and back.
Since launching its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has faced repeated accusations of attempting to eliminate critics and dissidents living abroad, including alleged targeting of exiled activists in France and Lithuania.
German officials have also disrupted plots aimed at the leader of a German arms company supplying Ukraine and a Ukrainian military figure. In 2024, Polish authorities arrested a man in connection with an alleged plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who had defected to the West was killed in Spain, with Russian intelligence operatives considered the primary suspects.
