A man suspected of leading an operation to steal a Banksy mural in a town outside Kyiv now faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted, Ukrainian authorities say.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the individual received a “suspicion notice” after artwork showing a woman in a gas mask holding a fire extinguisher was torn from the wall of a building in Hostomel on December 2, according to Reuters. .
“The criminals tried to transport this graffiti with the help of wooden boards and polyethylene,” the statement read.
“Thanks to the concern of the citizens, the police and other security forces managed to arrest the criminals,” he added.
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The Banksy mural in Hostomel, Ukraine, seen on November 12, 2022.
(Reuters/Gleb Garanich)
The artwork is estimated to have been valued at more than $243,000, Reuters reports.
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The mural on December 3, 2022, after its removal.
(Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Images captured by the news agency showed the exterior of a building, where the artwork used to be, peeled off.
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Andrii Nebytov, head of the Kyiv regional National Police, next to the work of street artist Banksy, which a group of people tried to steal from a wall of a residential building in the city of Hostomel, badly damaged during the Russian invasion, in a police office in the city of Boiarka, Ukraine, on December 3, 2022.
(Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Andrii Nebytov, head of the Kyiv regional National Police, was later photographed standing next to the artwork after it was recovered.
Banksy has so far confirmed to have painted six murals in Ukraine following the Russian invasion that began last year, according to Reuters.
