A Russian dissident artist known for his satirical caricatures of President Vladimir Putin was shot and killed in Poland, according to Polish prosecutors. Two Belarusian men have been arrested in connection with the killing.

Semyon Skrepetsky, 44, whose real name was Robert Kuzovkov, was killed Monday morning in a parking lot near his home in Biała Podlaska, a city close to Poland’s border with Belarus.

Polish prosecutors said the circumstances of the killing appeared to indicate a targeted attack. According to prosecutors’ spokesman Marcin Kozak, an unidentified man approached Skrepetsky and fired two shots from a handgun.

After Skrepetsky fell to the ground, the attacker allegedly approached him again and fired three additional shots before fleeing the scene. Prosecutors said the artist was struck in the head and chest and died at the location.

Police immediately launched a manhunt following the shooting. Two Belarusian citizens, aged 37 and 33, were detained near the Belarusian Consulate in Biała Podlaska, prosecutors said.

Authorities said the two men’s potential roles in the killing were still being investigated and did not announce charges against them.

Skrepetsky had lived in Poland since 2021 after leaving Russia. He had feared arrest because of his political activism and outspoken criticism of the Russian government.

The artist became known for paintings and cartoons portraying Putin and other political figures in deliberately unflattering and surreal ways. Some of his works depicted Putin with a bovine-like nose or alongside pigs.

His paintings also featured other prominent figures, including US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and businessman Elon Musk.

Although strongly opposed to Putin and his government, Skrepetsky was also critical of sections of the Russian opposition. He had publicly criticized the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, whom he accused of damaging the broader Russian opposition movement.

Skrepetsky also expressed support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. He publicly burned his Russian passport after the invasion began.

In subsequent years, however, he became increasingly critical of Ukraine’s leadership, according to accounts of his political views.

The circumstances surrounding his killing, including whether it was connected to his political activities, remain under investigation. Polish authorities have not publicly established a motive.

SOURCE: CNN, Ivana Kottasová, June 16, 2026.