A mural in North Center depicting Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was killed last year in North Carolina, has been vandalized. The artwork, created by Barcelona-based street artist SAV45 and located at 2415 W. Montrose Ave., was defaced with dark paint sometime last month. Paint residue was found on the ground near the building, according to reports.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, fled Kiev following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and relocated to Charlotte. She died after being fatally stabbed while riding a light rail line in that city. “It’s an absolute shame,” said Zoryana Smozhanyk, president and co-founder of the Ukrainian Daughters Foundation, regarding the defacement.
A spokesperson for the police department stated there were no calls for service related to the vandalism. Attempts to contact SAV45 for comment were unsuccessful.
The case of Zarutska has drawn national attention. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have cited her death in support of criminal justice and immigration policies. Zarutska was killed by DeCarlos Brown Jr., a Charlotte native with a history of mental health issues. During his State of the Union address last week, Trump invited Zarutska’s mother as a guest and incorrectly claimed Brown was an immigrant as part of remarks about border policy.
Elon Musk, who advised President Trump last year, helped raise at least $1 million with others to fund murals honoring Zarutska across the United States. According to reporting from The Guardian, Zarutska’s family was not consulted before commissioning the North Center mural.
Smozhanyk noted she saw evidence of vandalism when passing by last week. Local residents and construction workers nearby reported seeing the damage more than a week ago but could not specify when it first occurred.
The mural is painted on a three-story mixed-use building that houses Taqueria 5 De Mayo on its ground floor. Restaurant employees did not know if security cameras captured footage related to the incident and referred questions to their owner; messages left for them were not returned.
Controversy surrounds these murals due both to how they portray those affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine and because of their financial backers.
“I’m very sad to find out that in the last two months, and especially with the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that news outlets are most interested in Ukraine when it comes specifically to this picture,” Smozhanyk said.
She added that while she does not want to minimize grief over Zarutska’s death or her family’s loss, ongoing violence from Russia continues forcing Ukrainians like Zarutska into exile or causing deaths through missile and drone attacks.
“To represent the entirety of the Ukrainian community—and essentially have all news about thousands killed reduced just to coverage about one picture allegedly financed by Elon Musk—is ridiculous,” Smozhanyk said.
Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak, president of Illinois’ chapter of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, told another outlet that supporting refugees involves more than painting unauthorized murals: “If someone really cares about war refugees, there’s a lot you can do…other than paint a mural without family’s permission and just sign a poor girl’s name on it.”
Residents expressed frustration that political debate over such murals overshadows attention on Zarutska herself or broader impacts from Russia’s invasion. Previous incidents included graffiti reading “Hang Musk” appearing on this same mural in January—removed within hours—and another attempted act involving paint thrown at it.
