Thursday, 18 June 2026
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Killing the joke – the assassination of a Russian cartoonist

Russian artist Semyon Skrepetsky may have achieved exactly the wrong level of fame. He was prominent enough to be known to the Kremlin – and to annoy them – but not so renowned that his murder would trigger a major diplomatic outcry. That, at least, is what one Russian artist I spoke to this week believed about his killing on Monday.

Skrepetsky, whose real name was Robert Kuzovkov, was known for his political caricatures. He drew satirical portraits of Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenka, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and even Alexei Navalny. He fled Russia in 2021, fearing arrest and moved to the small Polish town of Biała Podlaska near the border with Belarus.

Contrarian by nature, Skrepetsky was initially seen as being pro-Ukrainian and publicly burnt his Russian passport following Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. Later he grew publicly critical of the Ukrainian leadership, which led to him being listed in Ukraine’s Myrotvorets database, a tracker of individuals accused of activities deemed harmful to Ukrainian national security.

But it was Putin who was the focus of most of his criticism. Three days before he was shot dead, Skrepetsky travelled to Berlin to stage a one-man protest outside the Russian embassy, featuring a caricature of Joseph Stalin and Putin. As part of the protest, he filmed himself putting Russia’s flag in a rubbish bin.

It remains unclear who killed him, although a couple of Belarusian men were detained and then released in connection with his murder.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the killing has the hallmarks of a political assassination. This, Tusk added, would be “an extremely serious matter internationally. It would constitute state terrorism.” Except Tusk also said justice can be hard in such cases, perhaps already suggesting there is little appetite for a bolder response.

Is Skrepetsky’s murder a sign of an increasingly nervous Moscow? Russia assassinating overseas critics is hardly new. Still, this is the same week that an unmarked Russian warship fired warning shots towards a small British yacht in the English Channel. It also comes at a time of deepening repression in Russia itself. Internet shutdowns are becoming more common. Apps are being routinely blocked. All likely triggered by the war in Ukraine not going as well as planned and worries about public opinion on the home front.

A quiet transfer of power within the Russian state has apparently been taking place. The FSB, successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is increasingly in charge. Their primary focus are threats to Putin, be it from external adversaries or internal dissenters.

Whether Skrepetsky's death was part of this pattern remains unproven, but what is certain is the Kremlin appears more reactive than ever and more willing to take risks. When regimes are worried about maintaining order, they hit out at the people who make fun of them – and satirists are (literally) in the firing line.

Jemimah Steinfeld

CEO, Index on Censorship


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Sri Lankan rapper arrested over TikTok

A rapper has been arrested ([link removed]) in Sri Lanka on terrorism charges over clips of a performance he posted to TikTok. Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, aka Hiphop Sangee, was arrested under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a temporary law put in place in 1979 by authorities to detain critics of the government and activists, often from Tamil or Muslim backgrounds.

Ganeskumar’s arrest led to protests demanding his release ([link removed]) , with Tamil political representatives and politicians condemning his detention.

China attempts to quash event in Lisbon

The Chinese Embassy in Portugal ([link removed]) attempted to cancel an event by Safeguard Defenders this week. The event, which took place on 16 June, included a discussion on detention conditions and risks to foreign nationals in China. It coincided with the release of the report: “Behind Bars - A Survey on Detention Centre Conditions in China.”

A letter from the embassy, published by Safeguard Defenders, was sent to the American Club of Lisbon, urging the venue to cancel the event as to “not offer a platform for actions that vilify China”. Fake Safeguard Defenders accounts were found on X posting incorrect dates, times and venues in an effort to confuse potential visitors.

These tactics are often used by China to silence dissident voices as part of a wider trend of transnational repression, you can read about another case reported byIndex here ([link removed]) .

Crackdown on protest in Egypt leaves two children injured

A demonstration against police brutality on Warraq Island led to two children being injured after birdshot and teargas were fired at residents on Sunday. Residents of Cairo’s Warraq al-Hadar district were protesting following an alleged attack on a young girl by a police officer the same day.

Unrest has been ongoing in the district over governmental plans to reclaim the land. Crackdowns have led to the arrests of activists ([link removed]) and repeated clashes ([link removed]*1f0m1e2*_ga*NTYyNTE3MDI3LjE3ODE2OTQyNjc.*_ga_BHYENKCFSJ*czE3ODE3NzI0MzYkbzMkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzMxNjgkajQ1JGwwJGg0NDU5NDA0MjU.) between residents and security forces.

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“UK border policy damages credibility”: ([link removed]*abo95b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMzk2MjkwMC4xNzgxNzc0NTIy*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3ODE3NzQ1MjIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzQ1MjYkajU2JGwxJGgxMjQyMjkzODI0)

Festival directors say the UK border policy is forcing artists to stop visiting ([link removed]*abo95b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMzk2MjkwMC4xNzgxNzc0NTIy*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3ODE3NzQ1MjIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzQ1MjYkajU2JGwxJGgxMjQyMjkzODI0)

By Charlotte Bailey ([link removed]*abo95b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMzk2MjkwMC4xNzgxNzc0NTIy*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3ODE3NzQ1MjIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzQ1MjYkajU2JGwxJGgxMjQyMjkzODI0)

Volume 48, Issue 3 ([link removed]*abo95b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMzk2MjkwMC4xNzgxNzc0NTIy*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3ODE3NzQ1MjIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzQ1MjYkajU2JGwxJGgxMjQyMjkzODI0)

Last night, Sudanese journalist Mohammed Amin won ([link removed]) One World Media’s Journalist of the Year Award. The ceremony took place in London. Amin, however, was not there. His visa was denied ([link removed]) by the UK Home Office on the grounds that they did not believe he would return to Sudan.

Unfortunately, Amin is not an isolated case. In the UK today, journalists, artists, academics and others are being flat-out denied entry to the UK because of their nationality. Amin’s reporting on Sudan, one of the worst conflicts of our time, needs to be heard by the world. As journalist Charlotte Bailey outlines in this piece from 2018, when you block international voices from entering the UK, it threatens the nation’s understanding of the rest of the world. Read more here. ([link removed]*abo95b*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTEyMzk2MjkwMC4xNzgxNzc0NTIy*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3ODE3NzQ1MjIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODE3NzQ1MjYkajU2JGwxJGgxMjQyMjkzODI0)


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Photos: (An illustration by Semyon Skrepetsky) Semyon Skrepetsky/Telegram; (UK border) dannyman/CC BY 2.0

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