A Russian artist and prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin was shot dead in eastern Poland, police said yesterday, with authorities describing the case as a likely premeditated murder, DPA reported, BTA reported.
The 44-year-old man was shot several times in the town of Biała Podlaska, about 35 kilometers from the border with Belarus, a police spokesman in the Lublin Voivodeship told the Polish news agency PAP.
Based on the circumstances, it appears to be a premeditated murder, the spokesman said, adding that investigators have not yet established a motive. The attacker is still at large.
While Polish police have not revealed the victim's identity, Russian and Belarusian opposition media have identified him as an artist and cartoonist known for his satirical depictions of Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
The artist had been living in exile in Poland since 2021, DPA noted.