- "These images are a symbol of our fight against the enemy," say the authorities.

Image of the peeling wall where there was Banksy graffiti (inset in photo, bottom right).

Eight arrested for stealing one of Banksy's graffiti in Ukraine

The Ukrainian authorities have reported the arrest of at least eight people for the attempted robbery of a mural painted by the artist Banksy in Gostomel, in the Kyiv region.

"A group of people has tried to steal a Banksy graffiti. They have cut out the image from the wall of a house that had been destroyed by the Russians," explained the head of the Kyiv Region Military Administration, Oleksii Kuleba, in a message. Posted on Telegram.

kyiv Police Chief Andriy Nebitov confirmed that "eight people had been identified" as possibly involved, and a preliminary investigation was opened into the matter.

"They were all between the ages of 27 and 60. They are residents of Kyiv and Cherkasy," some 200 kilometers southeast of the capital, he said.

For his part, Kuleba has assured that the graffiti has not been damaged and has stressed that there are agents already investigating what happened. Now they are studying what to do with the work, which has been separated from the wall.

"I want to emphasize that Banksy's works in the Kyiv region are protected by the Police. After all, these images are a symbol of our fight against the enemy. They are testimony to the support and solidarity with Ukraine of the entire civilized world", has highlighted.

"We are going to do everything possible to preserve these works of street art, a symbol of our future victory," Kuleba stressed.

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