A man who, with several accomplices, removed a work by British street artist Banksy from a wall in the Kyiv suburb of Hostomel in early December could be looking at multiple years in jail.
At the start of his trial on Monday, prosecutors requested 12 years in prison for the man, who is the sole defendant.
"He was aware of the value of the work and intended to sell the graffiti and dispose of the proceeds as he saw fit,” the prosecution charged. “To that end, he contracted men who knew nothing of his intentions and whom he assured that he had all the necessary permits to dismantle the mural.”
However, neighbours saw the image being cut out of the wall and called the police.
The work depicts a woman in curlers wearing a dressing gown and a gas mask and carrying a fire extinguisher. It has now been confiscated, and the Ministry of Culture has yet to make a decision on what will be done with it.
The identity of the artist behind Banksy is still unknown. In November, it became known that he had created several works in Kyiv suburbs heavily affected by the Russian invasion, and in central Kyiv itself.
