The world looks at Ukraine in shock. People who have their roots there and who fear for their family and friends are particularly hard hit. Among them: Hollywood star Milla Jovovich (46).
“I am heartbroken and speechless as I try to process this week’s events in my birthplace, Ukraine. My country and my people are being bombed. Friends and family in hiding,” writes the mother of three on her Instagram page.
Jovovich was born in Kiev to a Russian mother and a Serbian father. She spent most of her childhood in Moscow, her mother’s hometown.
In 1980, at the age of five, she left the Soviet Union with her family and moved first to London and then to Los Angeles.
Jovovioch: “My blood and roots come from both Russia and Ukraine. I am torn as I watch the horror unfold, the land destroyed, families displaced and their whole lives lying around them in charred fragments.”
The war, a trauma for her entire family.
Jovovioch: “I remember the war in my father’s homeland in the former Yugoslavia and the stories my family tells about the trauma and terror they experienced. War. Always war. Leaders who cannot bring peace. The never-ending juggernaut of imperialism. And always the people pay with bloodshed and tears.”
Her appeal, certainly also to her Hollywood colleagues: Help Ukraine!
Million donation to Ukraine refugees
Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds, 45, and his wife Blake Lively, 34, are generously supporting a UNHCR refugee fundraiser.
“Within 48 hours, countless Ukrainians had to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection,” Ryan Reynolds wrote on his Twitter page on Saturday.
The actor is urging his fans to donate, promising that he and his wife will match any donation – up to $1 million will be made available.