Russian dissident artist Semyon Skrepezki murdered in Poland
Key takeaways
- Skrepezki was known for his scathing caricatures of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Three of the five shots were fired after Skrepezki had already collapsed on the ground.
- This is the same ammunition that was used in the 2019 killing of Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Skrepezki was known for his scathing caricatures of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His suspected killer has been apprehended.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fef9Semyon Skrepetsky's is seen at his last protest outside Berlin's Russian embassy on June 12 Image: Vasily Krestyaninov/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance Advertisement Semyon Skrepezki was shot dead near his Biala Podlaska apartment on June 15 around 9:50 a.m., according to the Lublin prosecutor's office. Three of the five shots were fired after Skrepezki had already collapsed on the ground. He died at the scene. The perpetrator fled but was apprehended three days later. Five shell casings and a nine millimeter Luger bullet were found at the crime scene.
This is the same ammunition that was used in the 2019 killing of Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin. Maxim Kusminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine, was also shot and killed with a weapon of the same caliber in 2024, reports independent Russian news outlet Agentstwo.