A 44-year-old Russian artist, Robert Kuzovkov, known professionally as Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot and killed at close range near his home in Biala Podlaska, Poland.
The attack occurred on Monday. Prosecutors say an unidentified man approached Kuzovkov, fired two shots, then three more at close range before fleeing. The victim died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and back.
Polish authorities arrested two Belarusian citizens, aged 37 and 33, near the Belarusian Consulate shortly after the killing.
Kuzovkov was a vocal critic of the Russian government. His artwork included unflattering portraits of President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. One piece depicted Putin cradled in the arms of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Days before his death, he posted a video showing him discarding a Russian flag in a Berlin trash can.
Prosecutors have not officially linked the killing to Moscow, but the assassination follows a pattern of Russia targeting opponents abroad since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Recent plots have been uncovered in Germany, Lithuania, and Spain, including a foiled attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's life.