The alleged ringleader of a thwarted attempt to steal a mural that the anonymous British street artist Banksy painted on a bombed-out building in Ukraine will face up to 12 years behind bars if convicted.

Ukraines interior ministry revealed the potential hefty prison sentence on its website Monday, reported Reuters .

Police charged a group of people in December with trying to remove the artwork depicting a woman in a gas mask from a wall in Hostomel, near Kyiv.