Social media users compared Skrepetsky's murder to the high-profile cases of Nemtsov and Politkovskaya.

Boris Nemtsov and Anna Politkovskaya did not mock the government in their satirical drawings, but they also became victims of contract killings. Artist Semyon Skrepetsky has joined the list of people whose activities and positions led to their tragic deaths, according to social media users.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on June 20, it was reported that Elnur A., ​​suspected of murdering artist Robert Kuzovkov (pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky), who drew caricatures of politicians, including Ramzan Kadyrov, refused to admit guilt or testify. A court in Lublin ordered a three-month arrest for a suspect.

Commentators condemned the persecution for his creativity

A post about Semyon Skrepetsky's death was published on June 19 on the Caucasian Knot Facebook page*, which has approximately 162,000 subscribers. As of 11:50 AM Moscow time on June 23, the post had garnered 1,876 likes and 1,141 comments. Some of their authors compared Skrepetsky's murder to other resonant crimes.

"I remember how [Vladislav] Listyev was killed. He didn't draw cartoons. [Anna] Politkovskaya didn't draw cartoons either. [Dzhokhar] Dudayev, [Boris] Nemtsov and many others who are no longer alive also didn't draw cartoons," wrote Igor Babich.

"You can dislike cartoons, you can argue with them, you can condemn them. But responding to cartoons with bullets is already an admission of your own impotence. When the authorities begin to fear artists, satirists and "Critics, then the problem isn't with them. And the most telling moment is the shooting in the back. It's symbolic. People shoot in the back not out of force, but out of fear," emphasized Farhad Mirzoyev.

"He died like a warrior. From a legend, he became an icon," declared Ivan Voloshin. "By killing him, they immortalized his name. His paintings skyrocketed in price," noted user Seruen.

"Gagarin flew too far, this one was painted too far," declared Svetlana Yanovskaya.

"I feel sorry for him, but he angered the serious people. Those in power always have one more bullet," wrote Roman Tabacari.

"When one of the prisoners is saved, comes to the light, understands how the world works, and returns to save the others, they ridicule and hate him. Plato wrote directly that if they could reach this freed man, they would kill him," noted Zviad Pipia.

Some other users expressed doubts regarding some of the details voiced by the investigation. "[The accused] is already a Chechen. In a couple of days, it will be someone else. Make up your mind already," Serghei Bashtan quipped.

"Now they'll come up with different versions," says Konstantin Mainick.

"Some write that the killer was a Ukrainian with a Georgian passport, others write that he was killed in eastern Poland, and still others write something completely different. It's a matter of taste," noted Irena.

Commentators also expressed condolences and praised Semyon Skrepetsky.

"Robert fought in his own way. He was endowed with a special gift, which he expressed soulfully and sincerely. Killing a person, especially a talented one, is an atrocity. "We feel sorry for Robert, because he was innocent and honest," noted Khuratun Sagrada Maria.

"Oh, I feel sorry for the artist! He was a good man, strong in spirit," wrote Ulanbek Dzhuraev.

"He was doomed. Any caricature should be a little funny. And his drawings were beyond the pale. Criticism should have limits," said Roman Egorov.

As a reminder, on June 18, it was reported that a suspect in the murder of artist Robert Kuzovkov (Semyon Skrepetsky) had been detained in Poland. The detained man used a Georgian passport; some sources claim the document is highly likely fake, and the suspect is Chechen. A man detained in a Warsaw suburb on suspicion of murdering Semyon Skrepetsky, the author of Kadyrov cartoons, spoke Russian and knew Azerbaijani, according to his hostel neighbors.

Semyon Skrepetsky's work is virtually unknown in Chechnya, but the republic's authorities could have perceived it as offensive and used his murder as a message to other Kadyrov critics in Europe, Caucasian experts previously interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted.

Skrepetsky actively drew caricatures of political figures, including Ramzan Kadyrov, his son Adam, and Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov. Shortly before his murder, on June 14, he commented on his Telegram channel on the re-assignment of the Hero of Chechnya title to Adam Kadyrov, posting one of his paintings – it depicts the Kadyrovs, father and son, with pig snouts, ears, and hooves.

The Chechen authorities have long persecuted their critics abroad.

Critics of the Chechen authorities have long been persecuted, including in other countries. Specifically, in early 2020, the body of Imran Aliyev, a Chechen native and blogger known as Mansur the Old, was found in a hotel in the French city of Lille. Aliyev was killed by a resident of the Gudermes district of Chechnya who works for a high-ranking Chechen official, Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov later claimed.

In July 2020, bloggers from the Chechen diaspora who criticized the Kadyrov regime reported receiving regular threats. They reported this after the murder of Chechen native Mamikhan Umarov, known as "Anzor from Vienna," in Austria.

In September 2020, a video showing a naked Chechen native, Salman Tepsurkayev, sitting on a bottle, generated widespread controversy. He explained that he was doing this as punishment for collaborating with a Telegram channel critical of the Chechen government. Tepsurkaev noted that he had insulted Chechen security officials in his publications.

"I said that other people's mothers..., other people's daughters..., other people's wives.... I said very inappropriate things there. I cursed all the Chechen police officers and government officials," a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent translated Tepsurkaev's words.

"Caucasian Knot" compiled stories of the elimination of Ramzan Kadyrov's opponents in the EU in the report "Murders of Kadyrov's Critics in the EU".

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.

** has been included in the Russian Ministry of Justice's register of foreign agents.