Tusk: Anti-Putin Russian Artist Killed in Political Murder
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the fatal shooting of exiled Russian satirical artist Robert Kuzovkov bears hallmarks of a political assassination that would constitute state terrorism if ordered by Moscow.
Robert Kuzovkov, who published his work under the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was gunned down on June 15 in Biała Podlaska, a town in eastern Poland near the Belarusian border, according to Brussels Signal. The 44-year-old artist was shot multiple times by an assailant who continued firing as he lay on the ground.
Speaking at a press conference on June 17, Donald Tusk said all available evidence pointed toward a targeted killing, though investigators required more concrete proof. He emphasized that if the order originated from Moscow, Poland would be confronting state terrorism with international ramifications.
An autopsy revealed five entry wounds and two exit wounds to Kuzovkov’s head, chest, and back. The artist had been living in Poland since 2021 after fleeing Russia due to fears of political persecution.
Tusk confirmed that both Polish police and domestic security services had offered Kuzovkov protection, which he refused for reasons that remain unexplained. Two Belarusian citizens initially detained in connection with the attack were subsequently released due to insufficient evidence, Polish news agency PAP reported.
The artist’s home address in Biała Podlaska had been published online shortly before the shooting, according to the independent Russian outlet iStories. His widow and children are now under security service protection.
Kuzovkov had built a substantial following through his caustic satirical illustrations depicting Russian leaders as corrupt and authoritarian figures. His most notorious work reimagined an Orthodox icon, portraying Stalin cradling a young Putin in place of the infant Jesus.
His artistic targets included Putin, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. In exile, he maintained a deliberately provocative stance, also ridiculing the Russian opposition and criticizing Ukrainian political figures, which generated animosity across multiple factions.
The Belarusian rights organization Our House reported that Kuzovkov had received threats in the weeks preceding his murder. In the days before his death, he had participated in protests in Berlin on Russia Day, staging performances outside the Russian embassy.
Tusk pledged that Polish authorities would exhaust all resources to determine the circumstances surrounding the killing.
With information from Brussels Signal
