The anonymous graffiti artist shared images on his Instagram page late Friday of a mural depicting a female athlete balancing on the ruins of a destroyed building. However, he gave no information about the track or his travels – only revealing his location as the town of Borodyanka, in the Kiev region. The city, which is about 30 miles northwest of the Ukrainian capital, was besieged by Russian forces in the early weeks of the February 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 area, although the artist has not confirmed whether they are his. 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 starred in an instructional video titled “Let’s Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin.” Another image, this time in the Kiev suburb of Irpin, shows a rhythmic gymnast wearing a neck brace while performing a ribbon over a hole in the side of a building. It’s not the first time Banksy’s work has been linked to Ukraine after the Russian invasion: In March, a print of one of his most famous anti-war pieces, “CND Soldiers,” was published. sold, with proceeds going to a children’s hospital in the capital, Kyiv. The work was originally painted near the British Parliament in 2003, during protests against the Iraq War. Despite being one of the most well-known street artists in the world, Banksy has managed to maintain his anonymity since becoming famous in the 1990s.
