Melbourne mural of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers hugging painted over after backlash

A mural that showed a Ukrainian and Russian soldier embracing has been painted over after the artwork was heavily criticised.

The painting on a wall in Melbourne, Australia, had only been completed for a few days before the artist Peter Seaton, who paints under the moniker CTO art, decided to cover it up.

Among the artwork's critics were the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, who described it as "utterly offensive to all Ukrainians".

Vasyl Myroshnychenko said in a Twitter post: "The painter has no clue about the RU invasion of Ukraine and it is disappointing to see it done without consulting the Ukrainian community in Melbourne.

"The mural creates a sense of a false equivalency between the victim and the aggressor. It must be promptly removed."

Seaton told 9News on Monday morning that he had stayed up until 3am to paint it over because of the backlash.

He had previously apologised in a video on his Instagram feed, but said it was not his intention to offend anyone.

He said the aim of the artwork, called Peace Before Pieces, was about the unity of the "human species" and to discuss whether the "only antidote to (war) is more war".

He said: "This work is not to excuse the Russian aggression... The point is to ask when will peace be a thing, and will it ever?

"It's an artwork. There's a metaphoric value to it. It's not trying to say you need to love the Russians. It's just that love is fundamental within us. Don't forget that. This is a fundamental connection. And anything that takes us away from love is not acting in our best interest in the long term. I really stand by that."

But the reaction continued to be negative, with users on his feed such as nefidova.a responding: "This is painful to watch. So smug and arrogant, yet completely out of touch. Russians came to our home and started killing, raping and looting... Would you hug somebody who did this to your friend?

Another, calling themselves spaget1i, said: "Your work is horrble (sic), evil and pathetic."

But while the mural has been painted over, Seaton admitted to 9News that a work he created to accompany the wall painting, which features a video of the mural with an animated sequence of a nuclear blast and burning planet earth, will remain available to buy as an NFT, with "all profits... donated to World Beyond War charity".