Melbourne mural criticised as 'utterly offensive' to Ukrainians

A Melbourne mural depicting a Russian solider and a Ukrainian soldier hugging has been removed after significant backlash, including Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia describing it as "utterly offensive".

Artist Peter Seaton, who works under the name CTO, has spent the night painting over his work titled "Peace Before Pieces" on Kings Way in Melbourne CBD, just days after he completed it.

The mural portrayed a Russian soldier embracing a Ukrainian soldier.

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Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, took to social media on Saturday to demand the artwork be removed, calling it "utterly offensive to all Ukrainians".

"The painter has no clue about the RU invasion of Ukraine and it is disappoint to see it done without consulting the Ukrainian community in Melbourne.," Myroshnychenko said online.

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

Others have also taken to social media to blast the work, writing comments calling it an "extremely offensive picture, showing total ignorance of the Ukrainian reality".

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Seaton took to social media yesterday to apologise for any offence his work caused.

"I apologise heavily to the Ukrainian people," he said in a video.

Seaton has this morning told the Today Show that he never expected such a response to the work.

"The original intention was to focus our efforts on this war towards a negotiation of peace, to avoid nuclear disaster from crazy leaders," he said.

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Seaton said a lot of thought and consideration had gone into the concept.

"I talked to a number of different people of all political sides and got a lot of feedback from people.

"I proposed the initial concept and then I waited probably about six to eight months to actually do it. So I really tried to do the best thing.

"I felt it was the best way I could portray a message of peace which is something I am fundamentally about."

Seaton said it was not yet clear whether the wall would remain blank or whether he would paint another artwork in its place.