A Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot and killed in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska.
According to The Guardian, five shots were fired at the victim, including one to the head, in the attack on Monday, said Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin.
Two Belarusians have been detained but not charged in connection with the case, he added.
Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, who was also known by his artistic pseudonym, Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian artist and performer known for his criticism of the Russian leader.
Kozak confirmed that the victim had been engaged in artistic activity in which he expressed criticism of the current actions of Russian authorities.
The Belarusian opposition Telegram channel DzikMedia, citing unnamed sources, reported that an unidentified man had attempted to scale the fence of the country’s consulate in Biała Podlaska while fleeing police, but was apprehended.
Three days before he was killed, Skrepetsky had travelled to Berlin on Russia Day, a 12 June 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
