Serhii Zakharov is a Ukrainian artist known for his work in painting, graphics, and street art. Due to his artistic contributions, he has earned the nickname 'the Donetsk Banksy.'

Zakharov’s artworks are vibrant and thought-provoking. His oeuvre includes political cartoons created in 2014 in occupied Donetsk, as well as a vast number of oil and acrylic paintings. Today, Serhii continues to create works that tell stories about modern Ukraine.

Serhii Zakharov was born in 1967 in Donetsk. He had spent his entire life living and working in Donetsk. Drawing and painting had been his passion since childhood, but as he couldn’t make a living from art, he pursued a career in interior design and furniture.

The artist graduated from the Donetsk Art School and studied at the Makiyivka Engineering and Construction Institute, at the Faculty of Architecture.

Until 2014, Zakharov lived and worked in Donetsk, where his struggle against the occupiers began. In 2014, in Donetsk, he founded the “Murzilka Art Group.” In his hometown, Serhii resisted in their own way – he placed political cartoons on the streets of the city and publicly showcased these actions. Cardboard installations appeared in locations significant to the militants, mocking their leaders. This drew "attention" to Serhii, and soon he was captured, spending a month and a half in captivity. There, he endured numerous tortures, beatings, and mock executions. The events and experiences of those days were poured into a graphic novel titled “Hole”. 

After his release, Serhii decided to leave the occupied territories, knowing that, sooner or later, he would be closely monitored by the local authorities. When considering where to go, he chose Kyiv, where a school friend could assist him with finding accommodation and work.

After relocation, the artist cooperated with the international charitable foundation IZOLYATSIA, creating the “House of Cards” project to convey the instability of the occupying regime in Donbas and its reliance on the support of Russian authorities.

In 2016, he became a co-founder of the art group "UKRMAKROVSESVIT." He is also the consul (in exile) of the art republic "Užupis" (Lithuania).

Currently, Serhii Zakharov lives and works in Kyiv. 

Serhii Zakharov’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad. For example, his work “Air raid siren” was displayed at the Venice Biennale, where the European audience had the opportunity to encounter his art. In 2022, this work was sold at a charity auction.

Among Zakharov’s original paintings are works from the “Ukrainian calendar of Venus of war” series, “Spring” (2025), Untitled (2020), and many more. Zakharov’s paintings for sale are available on the UFDA website.

Several of the artist’s projects focus on debunking myths about Donbas and highlighting Russia's role, as well as the involvement of Russians in the occupation of Ukrainian territories.

Currently, Zakharov continues to create artworks that depict the realities of life in Ukraine. One of his latest pieces, part of the Ukrainian Calendar of Venus of War project, portrays a woman who lost her limbs due to the war. Reinterpreting the example of ancient beauty, the sculptural figure of Venus de Milo, the artist reflects on how people admire her natural elegance despite the absence of limbs. Similarly, he believes that while war maims, Ukrainians remain alive and powerful. For him, the beauty of the female body represents a metaphorical victory over the horrors of death and injury, symbolizing the continuation of life.