The alleged ringleader of a thwarted try to steal a mural that the nameless British avenue artist Banksy painted on a bombed-out constructing in Ukraine will withstand 12 years behind bars if convicted.
Ukraine’s inside ministry revealed the potential hefty jail sentence on its web site Monday, reported Reuters.
Police arrested a gaggle of individuals in December for allegedly attempting to take away the art work — which depicted a girl in a gasoline masks — from a wall in Hostomel, close to the capital Kyiv.
“The criminals tried to move this graffiti with the assistance of wood boards and polyethylene,” mentioned the ministry, per Reuters. “Due to the priority of residents, the police and different safety forces managed to arrest the criminals.”
The mural was certainly one of seven that Banksy painted in Ukraine final yr in solidarity with its residents amid the nation’s protection from Russia’s ongoing invasion, which started in February 2022.
The gasoline masks piece stays underneath police safety.
In December, Banksy introduced the discharge of a limited-edition print to boost cash for the Legacy of Battle Basis, which is supporting residents in Ukraine affected by the battle.
The group supplied the artist, whose identification has by no means been formally confirmed, with an ambulance to make use of throughout his journey to the nation.
It additionally allowed him to flee an “offended babushka” who busted him portray on her constructing, he revealed on its web site final month.
Greater than 1 million requests have been made to register for the possibility to purchase one of many 50 prints, mentioned the charity, which mentioned it additionally obtained “3,500 hostile assaults from Russian IP addresses.”
Artwork by Banksy has prior to now offered for tens of millions of {dollars}.
The artist has beforehand inspired folks to depart avenue artwork in situ, although, a tricky lesson that one man discovered when he confirmed off a purported Banksy art work on the “Antiques Roadshow” tv program.
Final yr, eight males have been sentenced for stealing his tribute to the victims of the 2015 terrorist assaults in Paris, France, that he painted on a door of the Bataclan theater.
See all of Banksy’s Ukraine artwork right here:
Banksy in Ukraine