Ukraine authorities detain eight people over theft of Banksy mural outside Kyiv - The Guardian

Eight radical person been detained implicit the theft of a mural painted by the elusive British thoroughfare creator Banksy from a partition connected the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said.

The stencil representation of a idiosyncratic successful a nightgown and state disguise holding a occurrence extinguisher, adjacent to the charred remains of a model successful the municipality of Hostomel, went missing connected Friday, they said.

“A radical of radical tried to bargain a Banksy mural. They chopped retired the enactment from the partition of a location destroyed by the Russians,” the Kyiv governor, Oleksiy Kuleba, said successful a station connected Telegram.

He attached the representation of a spread successful the partition wherever the representation had stood.

The spread successful the partition of the residential gathering aft the mural was taken. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

“Several radical were detained connected the spot,” helium said. “The representation is successful bully information and successful the hands of the authorities.”

Other works successful the country thought besides to beryllium the enactment of Banksy are nether constabulary protection, helium said.

The Kyiv constabulary chief, Andriy Nebytov, said 8 radical had been identified arsenic perchance involved, and a preliminary enquiry had been opened into the matter.

“All were aged betwixt 27 and 60 years old. They are residents of Kyiv and Cherkasy,” astir 200km (125 miles) south-east of the capital, helium said.

A Banksy stencil representation of a gymnast performing a handstand connected the partition of a wrecked gathering successful Borodianka. Photograph: Andrew Kravchenko/AP

Last month, Banksy posted an representation of the stencil of a gymnast performing a handstand connected the partition of a wrecked gathering successful Borodianka, north-west of the capital.

He past posted a video of respective much of his artworks, including the fig successful a state disguise holding the occurrence extinguisher.

Others included the portraits of a bearded antheral scrubbing up successful a bathtub, and a young lad successful a karate outfit slamming his big hostile to the ground.

A Banksy representation successful Borodianka. Photograph: Andrew Kravchenko/AP

Along with towns specified arsenic Bucha and Irpin, Borodianka and Hostomel were severely deed by Russian bombardment aft the penetration of Ukraine successful February.