Episode 245| June 18, 2026: Russian Cartoonist Assassinated

obert Kuzovkov, 44, an exiled Russian political cartoonist whose work criticized President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and other leaders, was assassinated in eastern Poland. He was shot five times in the head and torso on Monday outside his house in the city of Biala Podlaska. Kuzovkov “engaged in public artistic activities, using the pseudonym Simon Skrepetski, among others, through which he expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian authorities,” the prosecutor’s office said. Police detained two men from Belarus near the Belarusian Consulate in Biała Podlaska, but officials did not offer further details aside from their ages, 33 and 37. The city is less than 20 miles from the border with Belarus.

It’s another reminder that political cartoonists are in physical danger—and rarely protected. Cartoonists Ted Rall and Mr. Fish (filling in for Scott Stantis) discuss the Kuzovkov killing and the news through their cartoons.