Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jun 16
Poland Holds 2 Belarusians After Putin Critic Semyon Skrepetsky Is Shot Dead
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jun 16

Poland Holds 2 Belarusians After Putin Critic Semyon Skrepetsky Is Shot Dead

3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jun 16

Summary

  • Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian artist who mocked Vladimir Putin in his work, died in Poland after being shot five times, with prosecutors saying two Belarusian nationals are now in custody.
  • The killing targeted an outspoken Kremlin critic who had produced numerous satirical artworks about Putin and had publicly opposed the Russian president.
  • Skrepetsky moved to Poland in 2021 after fearing persecution in Russia, where authorities had widened a crackdown on dissent.

Insights

A Russian critic was murdered in Poland. Does this signal a new era of state-sponsored assassinations on European soil?
His satirical art targeted dictators. Did his final protest in Berlin seal his fate just three days later?