A towering sculpture left in the heart of Ukraine capital Kyiv shows Russian President Vladimir Putin with a handgun in his mouth — and urges him to shoot himself.
The more than 20-foot-high steelwork, titled “Shoot Yourself” and placed next to a monument for Lenin, shows a hand on the gun pointing inside the mouth that floats above it, according to photos taken by Agence France-Presse.
“Putler, did you understand the hint?” reads the inscription, using a portmanteau that compares Putin to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
A woman draped in a Ukrainian flag poses in front of the 20-foot-high sculpture of Russian President Vladimir Putin with a gun in his mouth Getty Images
The towering steelwork, titled “Shoot Yourself,” was left in the heart of Kyiv next to a monument for Lenin AFP via Getty ImagesSculptor Dmitry Iv took credit for the work, which CTV News said remained in the key Kyiv spot for around eight hours Saturday before it was removed.
“Originally I had an idea to create something that would motivate our soldiers to keep on killing Russians,” Iv told CTV, while imitating putting a gun to his mouth and pulling the trigger.
“The sculpture speaks for itself,” he said of the piece that took about a month to create.
Ukrainian artist Dmytro Iv took credit for the work, saying “the sculpture speaks for itself.” EPA
The Putin sculpture remained in place for about eight hours before it was removed Saturday. Getty Images
A woman poses for a selfie with the sculpture before it was removed on Saturday Getty Images“Putin is a war criminal and war criminals can do two things. They can either be put in prison, or shoot themselves.”
While he did not discuss why it was removed, Iv said it is being stored in a Kyiv warehouse ready to appear at a new venue, maybe in another city.
