• A crew ripped a Banksy artwork off a battle-scarred wall in Ukraine.
• The group cut a piece of board and plaster.
• It depicted a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher on a scorched building.

A crew ripped a Banksy artwork off a battle-scarred wall in Ukraine.

The group cut a piece of board and plaster depicting a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher on a scorched building.

They were spotted in Hostomel, near Kyiv, and the mural was recovered, Oleksiy Kuleba stated.

Police are preserving the image, he said.

“These photos symbolise our fight against the enemy… We’ll do everything to protect street art as a sign of our success, he declared.

Police released photos of a yellow wall with a large patch cut to the brickwork. They reported several people were arrested.

Banksy, whose work can sell for millions of dollars, acknowledged he painted the mural and six others last month in heavily fought areas after Russia invaded

Ukraine in late February.

One artwork depicts a gymnast doing a handstand on concrete rubble. One shows a man bathing.

A third artwork depicts a toddler flipping a man like Vladimir Putin doing judo.

In the early 1990s, Banksy became famous in Bristol, England.

The unknown street artist has visited the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

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