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| Europe |
| Ukrainian artist still missing after ridiculing separatists |
| 2014-08-17 |
| A series of street artworks mocking separatists in eastern Ukraine has landed their creator in hot water with the insurgents. Donetsk artist Serhiy Zakharov has been missing for more than a week after gracing the streets of his hometown with pictures ridiculing local rebel leaders. He is believed to be held by insurgents in the basement of the former Ukrainian Security Service building in Donetsk. Information obtained by his friends and relatives says the rebels have placed him "under investigation", fueling fears for his life. Zakharov's brother Andriy says the artist was seized by a group of armed men during a raid of his home late on August 6. Neighbors say the men wore insignias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). His computer and artwork were also taken. Zakharov's installations, painted figures cut out of plywood, first appeared in the streets of Donetsk on July 11. One of them represented Sharikov, the foolish hero of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "Heart of a Dog" wearing a DNR uniform. Others featured separatist fighters wearing ominous masks. Perhaps Zakharov's best-known installation targeted the DNR's then "defense minister," Igor Girkin, aka Strelkov. The picture showed Strelkov holding a gun to his head with the caption "just do it", and quickly went viral on the Internet. |
| Posted by:ryuge |