Io manderei quelli come lei un solo mese a combattere nelle stesse condizioni con cui avete mandato l'ARMIR 85 anni fa. Senza cibo, senza vestiti senza armi a -40ยฐsotto zero. Cosรฌ magari la smetterete di urlare Armiamoci e Partite, Spezzeremo le reni alla Russia
I have heartbreaking news to share: Semyon Skrepetsky, who stood with us in Venice protesting the reopening of the Russian Pavilion, has been murdered.
Semyon was a Russian artist and dissident who chose to challenge power through his work. His cartoons targeted Putin, Kadyrov, and Lukashenko, turning art into a powerful act of resistance against authoritarianism. After leaving Russia, he found refuge in Poland, but he never stopped fighting for freedom. He continued to raise his voice alongside Europa Radicale and the radical association Certi Diritti, most recently in opposition to the reopening of the Russian Pavilion in Venice.
His tragic death demands a reflection that Europe can no longer postpone.
In recent years, we have witnessed a disturbing pattern of poisonings, killings, and operations targeting Kremlin opponents far beyond Russiaโs borders. Determining responsibility for individual cases is rightly the task of judicial authorities. Yet the broader phenomenon of transnational attacks against dissidents and critics of authoritarian regimes is real, and it poses a serious challenge to European security and democratic values.
This is why the European Union must do more. We need a European Network for the Protection of Dissidents and Political Opponents, coordinated at EU level and working closely with Member States to assess threats, share intelligence, provide security measures, and offer concrete protection to journalists, artists, activists, and political refugees facing credible risks.
Europe must remain a place where those fleeing repression can find safety and freedom.
To defend dissidents is to defend our democracy.
Photo: Semyon in Venice.