The American actress and director Angelina Jolie (Los Angeles, 50 years old), also known for her humanitarian work, visited the Ukrainian city of Kherson, in the south of the country. She went to a maternity and children’s hospital and was photographed playing with the little ones admitted. His visit to one of the most dangerous cities due to daily bombing by Russian troops was confirmed by the public news agency Ukrinform and the public radio and television Suspline. Also from the former Kherson city councilor, Vitali Bogdanov, who published a photo with the interpreter on his Facebook profile. In the portrait, in which the politician has blurred his face, Jolie is wearing a bulletproof vest with the emblem of the Legacy of War Foundation, a charity that assists people affected by the conflict, and they were in an underground bomb shelter.
Kherson comes under daily attack with artillery and drone fire from Russian forces from the eastern bank of the Dnieper River that runs through the city. An Oct. 29 attack on a children’s hospital left nine people injured, a reflection of the dangerous conditions Jolie faced during her stay, the exact days of which are unknown.
However, it is not the actress’s first trip to the country invaded by Russia. In the first year of the conflict he visited the city of Lviv, in the west of the country, very close to the border with Poland. There he also met children injured in the rocket attack on the railway station in the city of Kramatorsk. During the visit he spoke with the displaced families of the station, who were taking refuge under the sirens of the air raids.
In the photo published by the Legacy of War Foundation, they write: “In response to the current threat, healthcare and education have been moved to hardened underground spaces, so that care and learning can continue more safely. Angelina has witnessed this work, a reminder of both the human cost of conflict and the resilience of those who continue to endure it.” And they add a statement from the actress. “Angelina said: ‘The people of Mykolaiv and Kherson live in danger every day, but refuse to give up. At a time when governments around the world turn their backs on protecting civilians, their strength and support for each other is moving. After nearly three years of conflict, the weariness is evident, but so is the determination. The families long for safety, peace and the chance to rebuild their lives.’
The official fundraising platform founded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, U24, also published the photo of Jolie’s visit on Wednesday: “These visits have a deep meaning, it is vital that Ukrainians feel the support and solidarity of world-famous people who support Ukraine. Thank you, Angelina, for your compassion.” Other celebrities who have visited the country have included Sean Penn, Ben Stiller and, most recently, Prince Henry.
The deputy director of the Kherson regional administration also spoke about the actress’s stay. “We are very grateful for Jolie’s visit and for people to come here,” Oleksandr Tolokonnikov said. “Sometimes it seems that they have forgotten us, but we see that this is not the case,” he tells Ukraine’s main state television. And the city is going through a critical situation; a United Nations investigation concluded last month that Russia is pursuing civilians living near the front lines with drones. Local officials in Kherson said the Ukrainian military shot down about 2,500 of 2,646 Russian drones launched to attack the region last week.
Angelina Jolie is known for her humanitarian aid work and for her work for over 20 years with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). She continues to advocate for the protection of human rights, despite leaving her role as UNHCR special envoy in 2022. In a joint statement from Jolie and the organization, she explained the reason for her decision: “I will now work with organizations led by the people most directly affected by conflict, who give them more voice.”
The protagonist of Maleficent AND Mr. and Mrs. Smith In the same year he also visited Ukrainian refugee children in Rome. The minors were hospitalized at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital, on the outskirts of Vatican City. Since the start of the war, Jolie has been one of the most vocal media figures about the conflict, which UNICEF says has already displaced more than two million children from Ukraine, as well as another 2.5 million internally displaced people since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The actress, who has nearly 16 million followers on her Instagram account, dedicates her publications almost exclusively to conflicts that affect children, such as the famine in Gaza. Speaking of Ukraine, she was one of the first celebrities to write about the conflict: “Like many of you, I am praying for Ukraine. My priority, together with my colleagues at @refugees, is that everything possible is done to ensure the protection and basic human rights of displaced people and refugees in the region.” Angelina Jolie has been recognized for her work, which includes more than 60 missions with UNHCR, and in 2023 she was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Prize for her work with organizations focused on helping displaced people and women victims of sexual violence.
