British street artist Banksy unveiled his latest artwork, this time in Ukraine, putting an end to weeks of speculation about whether he had traveled to the country.
However, he gave no information about the piece or his travels — revealing only its location as the town of Borodyanka, in the Kyiv region.
The town, which lies about 30 miles to the northwest of the Ukrainian capital, was besieged by Russian forces in the early weeks of the Feb. 24 invasion and subjected to aerial bombardment. It was recaptured by Ukraine in early April.
Other murals, similar to Banksy’s signature style, have also appeared in the region, although the artist has not confirmed whether they belonged to him.
One, also in Borodyanka, shows a child throwing a man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin to the floor during a judo match. Putin holds a black belt in the sport and has even starred in an instructional video titled “Let’s Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin.”
Another image, this time in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, shows a rhythmic gymnast wearing a neck brace while performing with a ribbon over a hole on the side of a building.
There have been calls for investigations into alleged Russian war crimes in Irpin and neighboring Bucha.
This is not the first time that Banksy’s work has been associated with Ukraine following the Russian invasion: In March, a print of one of his most famous antiwar pieces, “CND Soldiers,” was sold, with the proceeds going to a children’s hospital in Kyiv. The artwork was painted near the British parliament in 2003, during protests against the war in Iraq.
Despite being one of the world’s best-known street artists, Banksy has managed to maintain his anonymity since he rose to fame in the 1990s.