An exiled Russian artist has been shot dead in Poland days after he carried out a one-man protest against Vladimir Putin, featuring a caricature of the Russian President as a baby held by the Soviet-era dictator Joseph Stalin.
44-year-old Robert Kuzovkov, also known under the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot five times, including once to the head on Monday, in the eastern Polish town of Biala Podlaska close to the Belarusian border.
Two Belarusians have been detained, but not charged, in connection with the case, according to a spokesperson for the District Prosecutor in Lublin, who spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Three days before he was killed, Kuzovkov had travelled to Berlin for Russia Day on 12 June. While there, he staged a protest in which he put a Russian flag bearing the country’s coat of arms in a bin and stood in front of a caricature depicting Putin as a baby clutched by Stalin.
Kuzovkov moved to Poland in 2021, he had said, in order to avoid political persecution in Russia.
Kuzovkov was gunned down around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT), approximately 500 meters from the Belarusian Consulate in Biala Podlaska, according to local media.
An unverified video circulated on social media shows a man being arrested outside the Consulate. Belarusian opposition Telegram channel DzikMedia said the man tried to jump over the consulate’s fence, citing eyewitnesses.
According to NEXTA Live, a Belarusian Russian-language media outlet based in Poland, a taxi driver was detained by police on Wednesday near the Belarusian consulate.
Poland says its role as a hub for military and other supplies to Ukraine has made it a target for Russian spies.
The Russian Embassy in Warsaw was not immediately available for comment. However, a spokesman for Poland's Special Services Minister said that the Internal Security Agency had been cooperating closely with police and prosecutors on the matter.
Kuzovkov was known for his satirical portraits of a range of politicians including Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
He also criticised the Ukrainian government - his address and other personal details appear on the Myrotvorets website, a Ukrainian portal which publishes details of people it considers to be enemies of Kyiv.
A developing El Niño in the Pacific could become one of the strongest on record, leading to heavier rainfall and a greater risk of severe fl...
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday...
Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit focused on artificial intelligence, the future of...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
A developing El Niño in the Pacific could become one of the strongest on record, leading to heavier rainfall and a greater risk of severe flooding in parts of Central Asia, while also worsening extreme weather in other parts of the world.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. They discussed progress towards peace and the development of economic and transport links between the two countries.
Fourteen Kazakh military personnel died after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise in the western Mangistau region, authorities said on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defence of Israel's actions in the region at the United Nations on Thursday, seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of elections he could lose, as dozens of delegates streamed out.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated again, with Pakistani security sources saying its troops thwarted an attempted Afghan Taliban attack in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan on Thursday, along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan, killing several Taliban fighters.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment