Banksy in Ukraine – locations and the stories behind each piece

The first piece to actually be confirmed by Banksy via banksy.co.uk was this image of a balancing gymnast on a destroyed building in Borodyanka in Ukraine. This town was one of the first to be occupied by the invading Russian army as the war started. It was occupied until April and was particularly badly devastated.

This image of a child flipping a much larger man onto his back is full of symbolism. The man is dressed in judo attire – Putin is famously a fan of judo and so this is a deliberate put down (literally!) of him. Banksy’s own video of his work in Ukraine explains that the destroyed building was actually a kindergarten and introduces us to child who used to attend the location and his mother. This gives the whole piece a new deeper meaning.

This work depicts a man scrubbing his back in a bathtub. It is on the ground floor of the remains of an block of flats that were hit in a Russian attack in March, shortly before Russia’s advance on the capital was halted.

Signs that Banksy might be in Ukraine stated with photos of children playing on a seesaw constructed out of a hedgehog – a heavy steel anti tank defence designed to stop vehicles advancing. It was placed in Kiev and is the only silhouette style piece out of the seven locations.