[ad_1]
Banksy is in Ukraine, it has emerged, after the British artist confirmed his latest work on a destroyed building near Kyiv.
In the piece, a female gymnast can be seen balancing on her hands on rubble at the bottom of a an apartment building, which has been completely gutted by Russian shelling.
Speculation had been mounting that the anonymous graffiti icon was in the war-torn country after a series of murals appeared in the town of Borodyanka, about an hour’s drive north-west of the capital.
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, while a separate piece in nearby Irpin showed a rhythmic gymnast waving a ribbon while wearing a neck brace.
However, the mural which Banksy chose to share with his 11.1million Instagram followers is that of the female gymnast balancing on a damaged building.
The graffiti artist posted three images of the mural on Friday, with the caption simply reading ‘Borodyanka, Ukraine.’
It has since received more than 1.3million ‘likes’ and more than 14,000 comments.
In the piece, a female gymnast can be seen balancing on her hands on rubble at the bottom of a an apartment building in Borodyanka, which has been completely gutted by Russian shelling
Speculation had been mounting that the anonymous graffiti icon was in the war-torn country after a series of murals appeared in the town, which is about an hour’s drive north-west of the capital (Pictured: Artwork of gymnast confirmed by Banksy)
Russian soldiers invaded in February of this year, occupying the town for weeks before it was liberated in April (Pictured: Destroyed apartment building featuring Banksy artwork)
Borodyanka was one of the towns hardest hit by Russia’s bombardment at the beginning of the invasion.
Russian soldiers invaded in February of this year, occupying the town for weeks before it was liberated in April.
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.
It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that the city of Kherson is back in Ukrainian hands following Russia‘s retreat from the key battleground – the only regional capital Putin‘s forces had taken since the invasion began.
Jubilant locals wept as they kissed and embraced the first Ukrainian soldiers to arrive in the centre of the Black Sea port, the first major urban hub that fell to Russia.
One mural in the town depicts a man resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin being flipped during a judo match with a little boy. Banksy has not confirmed if the artwork is his
A rhythmic gymnast waving a ribbon while wearing a neck brace is among the other artworks near Kyiv which sparked rumours that Banksy was in town. He has yet to claim the piece as his
‘Our people. Ours. Kherson,’ Zelensky wrote on Telegram today as footage showed Ukrainian troops gathering with residents of the city to celebrate the landmark victory.
In an address to the Ukrainian people, the President said: ‘Today is a historic day, we are returning the south of our country, returning Kherson.’
He praised the strength and spirit of the people of Kherson, who he said ‘believed in Ukraine’ despite the ‘threats, repression and abuse of the occupiers’.
The southern city was liberated today after nine months under Russian occupation in what has been a major blow for the Kremlin.
Ukrainian soldiers were treated to a hero’s welcome by jubilant crowds as they arrived in the city centre throughout the day, with celebrations going on into the night.
An emotional video appears to show locals hoisting a Ukrainian flag on a monument in the city as they support one another and sing together.
People wave a Ukrainian flag in Kyiv, the country’s capital, to celebrate the liberation of Kherson on Friday
A woman holds up a slogan which reads ’11/11/2022 Kherson Ukraine’ in Maidan Square, Kyiv, to celebrate the city’s liberation
Earlier in the day, young men were filmed victoriously cheering as they raised a flag in the city’s Freedom Square.
The withdrawal, in the face of an intense Ukrainian counter-offensive, marks Russia’s third major retreat of the war.
As the news settles in of the city’s recapture, Ukrainians have been celebrating across the embattled country.
Videos out of Kherson appear to show locals partying in the streets tonight as they enjoy their first taste of freedom from the Russian occupiers since March.
Amid the celebrations, Mr Khlan said the humanitarian situation there is dire as the occupiers had destroyed key infrastructure. ‘The situation with fuel is difficult and there has been no electricity for a week,’ he said. Temperatures hit 3C (37F) yesterday, with freezing weather expected to arrive next week.
Nevertheless, victory parades started to break out after it had become clear that Russia no longer controlled the city.
‘Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes,’ shouted one man in a video circulating on social media, a slogan first used by the country’s military as a greeting during Ukraine’s 1917-1921 war of independence.
Iryna Osadcha, a 30-year-old Kherson resident, said that she sobbed as she saw Ukrainian soldiers entering the city. ‘My emotions cannot be described in words,’ she told the Mail. ‘I want to thank Britain and the whole world for their help and faith in us.’
Dasha Zarivna, a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser who was born and raised in Kherson, said she was ‘extremely emotional to see Ukrainian flags flying over its city centre again’.
‘This war is only going one way,’ Miss Zarivna said. ‘The Russian armed forces and public in general can see this is becoming a historic humiliation. Hopefully the retreat from Kherson will force wiser heads in the Kremlin to seek a pragmatic way out of this disaster that they have got themselves into.’
[ad_2]
Source link
