Banksy in Ukraine: How Street Art Turned Ruins Into Messages About War

How Banksy's works in Kyiv and its suburbs shaped a visual record of the war.

Following Reuters reports on an attempt to establish Banksy's real identity — including after the artist's 2022 visit to Horenka — interest in the artist and his Ukrainian works grew noticeably.

Against this backdrop, the DeTalks team put together a roundup of the murals, examining their meaning and how the street art captured the experience of war and destruction.

Who Is Banksy

English artist Banksy has worked in street art since the 1990s, consistently maintaining his anonymity. In his practice, he uses stencil techniques that allow him to create works quickly in urban spaces.

His style took shape as provocative street art blending a black-and-white palette, bold accents, and concise imagery, through which Banksy addressed themes of war, power, and social inequality, while also criticizing consumerism and capitalism.

In his work, the artist often uses symbolic figures — rats, monkeys, police officers, or children — with the images themselves interacting with the location where they appear.

In his book Wall and Piece, the author outlined the key ideas behind his art — peace, freedom, and justice — emphasizing the importance of simplicity in visual language and its connection to reality.

The value of individual works has reached millions of dollars, and interest in them has often led to attempts at removal or theft.

Meanwhile, Reuters journalists reported that, as part of a long-running investigation, including in Ukraine, they tried to establish the artist's identity. According to their findings, Banksy may have used the alias David Jones, while his real name could be Robin Gunningham.

Banksy's First Graffiti in Ukraine

Banksy's first work in Ukraine was a graffiti piece depicting a gymnast doing a handstand, created on a destroyed apartment building in Borodianka. The image appeared on an interior wall of a building damaged by a Russian airstrike.

On November 11, 2022, the artist first confirmed authorship of the piece, posting it on his Instagram with the caption 'Borodyanka, Ukraine.' This was also his first post after nearly a year-long break from social media, as well as the first officially confirmed mural created in Ukraine.

Judo Fight

In another graffiti piece, also in Borodianka, the artist depicted a boy in a judo gi performing a hip throw on an adult man who visually resembles Vladimir Putin — a fan of the sport.

Over time, the graffiti began sustaining damage from the weather. Despite statements from local authorities about their intent to preserve the artwork, proper protection — such as a special coating or glass covering — wasn't put in place for a long time.

The Mural of a Man in a Bathtub

Another Banksy work in Ukraine was a mural created in November 2022 in the village of Horenka in Kyiv Oblast. On the wall of a destroyed house, the artist depicted an elderly man bathing in a tub — a scene of everyday life set against a space scarred by war.

The mural was later removed along with a fragment of the building's wall. The decision was made to protect the image from moisture, mold, and condensation. Restorers carried out the work with the goal of preserving and conserving the graffiti.

Woman in a Gas Mask

A separate place among Banksy's Ukrainian works belongs to a graffiti piece created in the liberated town of Hostomel. In it, the artist depicted a woman in home clothes — a robe and curlers — standing in a gas mask, holding a fire extinguisher, against the backdrop of a charred window in a destroyed house.

After it appeared, the mural repeatedly faced the threat of damage or theft, but it was eventually preserved. In 2024, the graffiti was moved to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, where it became part of an exhibition, displayed alongside ancient 11th-century graffiti.

Children on a Swing

Another Banksy work depicts children swinging on an anti-tank 'hedgehog' barrier. The mural appeared near Independence Square, on the Alley of Heavenly Hundred Heroes.

Like the artist's other Ukrainian works, this mural gained widespread attention, which later raised the question of its preservation. Kyiv City Council announced plans to conserve the image to protect it from deterioration. Specialists conducted preliminary studies, and restorers were brought in to begin the scientific and technical work of conserving the piece.

Gymnast With a Ribbon

Banksy created another work in Irpin, on the wall of a destroyed building that suffered significant damage during the city's occupation. Directly above a shell hole, the artist painted a small ribbon gymnast — the hole read as a ball the girl is balancing on, turning a mark of destruction into part of the image.

Given the building's condition, which was declared unsafe, officials decided to demolish it. During the work, the graffiti was protected with a special structure, and after demolition, the wall fragment was secured in a metal frame.

The work was later moved to 136 Severynivska Street, where it's planned to become part of a future space dedicated to contemporary art.

A Truck Carrying a Warhead

The series of Banksy's Ukrainian works closes with a graffiti piece created in central Kyiv, on Velyka Zhytomyrska Street. In it, the artist depicted a military truck marked with Russian equipment insignia, carrying a phallus-shaped warhead.

What made this work distinctive is that the artist incorporated an existing drawing already on the wall, transforming it into part of the composition. In doing so, Banksy blended the street context with his own concept.

The graffiti carried a sharply ironic tone and read as mockery of military rhetoric and displays of force.