Is Bansky in Ukraine? Street artist reveals works on destroyed building near Kyiv

Banksy has appeared to confirm that he is in Ukraine after unveiling his latest artwork on Instagram.

Speculation had been mounting that the anonymous graffiti artist was in the war-torn country after a series of murals appeared in the town. The street artists has since seemingly confirmed his presence in the war-torn country.

One mural depicted a man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin being flipped during a judo match with a little boy. Another showed two children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw.

However, the mural which Banksy chose to reveal his presence in the country is of a female gymnast balancing on a damaged building. The graffiti artist posted three images of the mural on Instagram on Friday, with the caption simply reading “Borodyanka, Ukraine.”

Here is all we know so far about Banksy’s work in Ukraine:

Where are the Banksy paintings in Ukraine?

The street murals have appeared on buildings in the town of Borodyanka, near Kyiv. It had an estitamted population of 13,044 in 2021 prior to the war.

Borodyanka was on the main axis of the Russian advance on Kyiv during the invasion of the country on 24 February. Russia failed to take Kyiv on that advance.

The town was shelled by Russian forces and several apartment buildings as well as other civilian infrastructure were destroyed. A bridge into the town was also destoryed and survivors starved as a result of supplies being unable to reach the area, New York Times reported.

Borodyanka was liberated in April, having been occupied by Russian forces since February. Since then, the town has been the focus of reconstruction efforts, with several tower blocks demolished as a result of damage caused by the fighting.

What did Bansky say about the works?

On his Instagram, the myserious street artist shared three images of a mural in the Ukrainian town and captioned it simply: “Borodyanka, Ukraine.” The post appeared to confirm that the anonymous artist had visited Borodyanka.

What are the paintings?

Three murals have appeared in the town of Borodyanka. Banksy however only picked one to share on social media.

The street artist shared a photo of a mural featuring a female gymnast balancing on a damaged building in the town. It is recognisably in the style of the annonymous street artist.

Another mural depicted a man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin being flipped during a judo match with a little boy. The third one showed two children using a metal tank trap as a seesaw.

What is the latest on the war in Ukraine?

Russia’s withdrawal from a regional capital in the south of Ukraine brings “significant reputational damage”, defence experts have said.

British intelligence analysts believe Moscow’s exit from Kherson, a strategically key city, likely began as early as 22 October when Russian-installed figures urged civilians to leave. It is anticipated that Ukraine has now retaken large areas of the Kherson region on the western bank of the Dnipro River, with its forces largely in control of city itself.