Police in Poland are investigating the murder of a Russian artist critical of President Vladimir Putin.

The Polish prosecutor's office reported that Robert K., known artistically as Semyon Skrepetsky, died after being shot several times on Monday morning in the Polish city of Biała Podlaska, located about 40 kilometers from the border with Belarus.

The 44-year-old man was shot five times in the head, chest and back in a parking lot in the city, located about 600 meters from the Belarusian consulate.

Semyon Skrepetsky was the pseudonym used by Robert Kuzovkov. He was known for his caricatures of politicians, including Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

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Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the Lublin District Prosecutor's Office, stated that an unidentified gunman approached the artist and shot him twice.

"When the victim fell to the ground, the attacker approached, fired three more shots and quickly fled the scene. Robert K. died at the scene," he added.

Five shell casings and a Geco 9mm Luger bullet were recovered at the crime scene, Kozak said.

An autopsy was scheduled for this Wednesday.

Police detained two Belarusian citizens, aged 33 and 37, near the Belarusian consulate in the city. His level of involvement in the incident is still being investigated, Kozak said.

According to local media information, Skrepetsky had moved to Biała Podlaska in 2021.

“The victim carried out public artistic activities and used, among others, the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, under which he expressed criticism of the current policies of the authorities of the Russian Federation,” Kozak said.

A video recently posted on social media showed Skrepetsky at a Russia Day protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on June 12.

He was wearing a painting caricaturing Putin and Soviet leader Stalin, as well as a Russian flag tied to his pants that he dragged along the ground.