Semyon Skrepetsky

Semyon Skrepetsky (, also rendered as Simon Skrepecki; born Robert Mubaryakovich Kuzovkov , also known as Robert Burdai and Skreponosny Buzotyor ; 5 August 1981 – 15 June 2026) was a Russian artist, painter, caricaturist, performance artist, musician, blogger and satirist. He was known for political caricatures and satirical material critical of the authorities of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Background Skrepetsky was born in Russia in 1981. Before his death he lived in Biała Podlaska. According to Fontanka.ru, he also recorded trap tracks under the pseudonym MC Screp.

His works included caricatures of Vladimir Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam Kadyrov, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Alexei Navalny and Yulia Navalnaya, Maxim Katz, the singer Shaman, Joseph Stalin and Alexander Lukashenko. His satirical paintings portrayed Putin, Kadyrov and other representatives of the Russian authorities. Associated Press described another image as showing Putin being cradled in the arms of Stalin.

His criticism was not limited to the Russian authorities. Russian-language and English-language sources reported that he also criticised parts of the Russian opposition and the authorities of Ukraine; in this context, his inclusion in the Myrotvorets database was noted. Myrotvorets accused him for activities like spreading Russian propaganda and discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He was the author of the book Russia-2028. According to Associated Press, on the Sunday before his death he posted a video on his YouTube channel showing him in Berlin putting a Russian flag in a rubbish bin during the 12 June action. According to Reform.news, no other individuals had been detained in the investigation as of that statement. Reuters reported that Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for Poland's minister responsible for special services, said the Internal Security Agency had been cooperating closely with police and prosecutors on the case. In the Journal of Democracy, Nate Schenkkan wrote that Freedom House data for 2014–2024 covered 1,219 direct physical incidents of transnational repression by 48 origin states in 103 host states. A January 2026 study requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, using primarily the Freedom House dataset, stated that Russia was the origin state with the highest number of such incidents inside the European Union and that Poland was the EU host state with the highest number of incidents in the dataset.

Scholarly work on satire in Putin-era Russia describes satirical protest as a field shaped by the limits of permitted humour, state and pro-state pressure, and counterstrategies of cultural resistance. The volume Satire and Protest in Putin's Russia examines satire on the internet, television and stage, as well as satirical protest in music, poetry, visual culture and public actions.