Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Poland as two Belarusian nationals detained
Robert Kuzovkov, 44, was shot five times in the head, chest and back.
A Russian artist and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin has been shot dead in Poland.
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Robert Kuzovkov, 44, was shot five times in the head, chest and back in a car park in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor said.
The victim, who went by the artistic pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, was known for artworks caricaturing Putin as well as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
He was approached by an unidentified gunman who fired two shots at him, Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, said.
"When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator approached, fired three more shots and then quickly fled the scene. Robert K died at the scene," the spokesman added.
They said five shell casings and a Geco 9mm Luger bullet were recovered from the scene.
Two Belarusian nationals, aged 33 and 37, were detained near the Belarusian consulate in the city but not charged as police work to determine their alleged role in the shooting.
Three days before he was killed, Skrepetsky had travelled to Berlin on Russia Day, a June 12 holiday marking the country's declaration of sovereignty before the collapse of the Soviet Union, where he staged a protest with an icon-like caricature of Joseph Stalin and Putin, according to the Meduza news outlet.
Footage posted to social media appeared to show him at the protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin earlier this month.
Poland says its role as a hub for military and other supplies to Ukraine has made it a target for Russian spies trying to gather information on support for Kyiv's effort to repel Russia's invasion, as well as engage in acts of sabotage.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw was not immediately available for comment.
Jacek Dobrzynski, 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.