Research into the murder of Russian artist and known critic of Vladimir Putin, Robert Kuzovkov, conduct the Polish authorities, which occurred Monday morning in the city of Biala Podlaska, near the border with Belarus.
According to the Polish Public Prosecutor's Office, the victim, who was more widely known by the stage name Semyon Skrepetski, was fired at a parking lot about 600 metres from the Belarus consulate. The 44-year-old was fatally wounded by five bullets in the head, chest, and back.
According to the BBC, Lublin District Prosecutor Marchin Kozak said a man approached the victim and opened fire on him.
"When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator approached it and fired three more times before escaping quickly from the scene. The man succumbed on the spot," the prosecutor said.
During the autopsy at the site of the attack five casings and a 9mm caliber shot were detected. Autopsy-death is scheduled for Wednesday.
Polish authorities proceeded to arrest two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near their country's consulate in the city. However, according to the prosecution, so far their degree of involvement in the case has not been clarified.
Robert Kuzovkov had moved to Biala Podlaska in 2021, according to local reports. Under the pseudonym Semion Skrepetsky he had gained fame for his political cartoons and satirical depictions of leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadirov.
A few days before his murder, the artist had appeared in protest of Russia Day outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, on June 12.
Investigations into the motives and perpetrators of the murder are under way.