Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has the world’s attention, including celebrities who are weighing in on the ongoing crisis.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine began in the pre-dawn hours of Moscow on Feb. 24 and international backlash followed swiftly in the form of sanctions by the United States and a host of other countries.
Putin has continued to push forward, slowly encroaching into the one-time Soviet Republic that has expressed a desire to someday join NATO.
The fighting has led more than 3 million people to flee Ukraine, the U.N. estimates. The death toll remains unknown, though Ukraine has said thousands of civilians have died.
Congress passed $13.6 billion in humanitarian aid money for Ukraine as celebrities also raise funds for the country. Here’s what stars are saying and doing as the they decry the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
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Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher team up for multimillion fundraiser
Mila Kunis is giving back to her homeland of Ukraine with the help of husband Ashton Kutcher. The couple has helped raise over $30 million in humanitarian relief for the people of Ukraine through their fundraiser on GoFundMe.
Kunis and Kutcher exceeded their initial fundraising goal of $30 million, thanks to the donations of more than 65,000 people, the couple said in a video.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support, and while this is far from a solve of the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty,” Kunis said in the video.
Kutcher added: “We’re gonna do everything we can to ensure that the outpouring of love that came from you all as a part of this campaign finds the maximum impact with those in need.”
The couple matched $3 million for the fundraiser, which will benefit freight forwarder Flexport and vacation rental company Airbnb. The two organizations will facilitate aid efforts by “transporting humanitarian aid to known NGOs on the ground” and “providing free, short-term housing to up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine,” Kunis and Kutcher said.
“The people of Ukraine are strong and brave, but being strong and brave doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of support,” Kunis said in a video announcing the fundraiser.
Michael Keaton, more stars speak out at Critics Choice Awards
Michael Keaton, Billy Crystal, Maria Bakalova and more stars took time during their appearances on stage at the Critics Choice Awards to acknowledge the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and show support to the country under siege.
Keaton, who won best actor in a limited series for his work in “Dopesick,” delivered a powerful speech on opioid addiction, which the series explores, and on the war.
“I want to say thank you to fellow actor (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy), and keep up the fight! There is only one way to change things environmentally, socially, and for some sort of racial justice and social justice, two words: Voting rights,” he said before closing. “Voting rights and voter suppression.”
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Crystal shared that his grandmothers were from Odessa and Kyiv and escaped to America and that their laughter fueled his career. “I pray that somehow, someway, there can be laughter and joy in that part of the world once again,” he said.
Bakalova, who noted that she is from Bulgaria, “just a few hundred miles from Ukraine,” praised the “bravery of the people of Ukraine, who are defending their right to independence and democracy.”
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Former Miss Ukraine describes Kyiv escape, asks for aid
Veronika Didusenko, who was crowned Miss Ukraine in 2018, said she and her 7-year-old son were awoken on the first day of the invasion to the sounds of air raid sirens and explosions, and they joined thousands of others on the road to evacuate.
“On my … journey to the border of Ukraine, there was no place where sirens would not sound, where rockets and bombs would not explode,” she said.
Didusenko told her story at a news conference in the Los Angeles office of women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, who said she became friends with the former beauty queen several months ago.
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Didusenko and her son eventually made it to Moldova and traveled through other European countries before reaching Geneva, Switzerland. Didusenko said she made the “heartbreaking” decision to leave her son there to travel to the United States to hold the press conference with Allred.
Didusenko said Ukrainians are committed to defending their country, but need more help from other nations. “Ukrainians absolutely have the courage to defend their land and homes, but in order to stop the endless attack from the east and north, they are in desperate need of weapons and ammunition,” she said. “We will fight for our freedom and yours.”
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Bethenny Frankel’s charity raises over $35M
Entrepreneur and reality star Bethenny Frankel’s charity, BStrong, has raised over $35 million to relocate and support Ukrainian refugees as of March 8, Frankel shared on the “Tamron Hall” show.
The charity originally raised $10 million in early March, according to a tweet from Frankel. “We have committed 15m in aid,” the tweet read.
“We’re getting refugees out and aid into Ukraine. It’s not about taking care of them on the border. It’s, ‘Where do you need to go? Who do you need to see?’ And get you out,” Frankel said.
BStrong has partnered with local travel agencies to assist with refugees’ travel logistics, and with Goya Europe, which has donated 100,000 pounds of food. The charity has set up several tents to aid those in need and is working on securing a warehouse, Frankel said in a video update.
Hayden Panettiere ‘can’t continue to sit on the sidelines’ amid Ukraine invasion
For Hayden Panettiere, the Russian invasion of Ukraine hits close to home.
“There are no words to describe what it’s been like to watch the war on Ukraine unfold,” the “Nashville” star said in a video.
Panettiere is using her platform to help raise funds for the Ukrainians’ resistance efforts. She created the relief organization Hoplon International “to bring relief and aid directly to Ukrainians on the front lines,” including “life-saving supplies” such as body armor and medical kits.
“I can’t continue to sit on the sidelines just watching as this disaster rages on,” Panettiere said.
Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber donate fashion show earnings
In an Instagram post, Gigi Hadid pledged to donate her earnings from walking in the fall/winter 2022 fashion shows to aid Ukrainians suffering from the war. She also noted she would be continuing her aid to Palestine as well.
“Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice,” Gigi Hadid wrote. “May we all see each other as brothers and sisters, beyond politics, beyond race, beyond religion. At the the end of the day, innocent lives pay for war- not leaders.”
Days later, her sister Bella Hadid also announced she would be taking after her “amazing sis” and donating her fashion week earnings to help Ukraine as well.
Bella Hadid wrote that she stands alongside “every person that has been affected by this war” and whose “lives have been changed forever from the hands of ‘power.’ “
Model Kaia Gerber will also be donating a portion of her fashion week earnings to organizations dedicated to helping Ukrainians amid the invasion.
Met Opera holds Ukraine relief benefit
The Metropolitan Opera held a benefit concert on March 14 for Ukraine relief efforts that was broadcast on radio worldwide, including on Ukrainian public radio.
Music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the program featuring Ukrainian bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialskyi and the Met chorus, who performed Ukraine’s national anthem and “A Prayer for the Ukraine,” a choral work by a Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov.
“It was so emotional and powerful. In some moments it was so sensitive and hard to not show my emotions,” Buialskyi said after the show. “I’m so grateful to the theater, to all the people who helped to do this.”
The 90-minute program also included Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, “Va, pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco,” soprano Lise Davidsen in Richard Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) and the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Davidsen, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Piotr Beczała, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green.
Sting sings ‘Russians’ to support Ukraine: ‘Never thought it would be relevant again’
Sting revived his suddenly relevant ‘80s solo song “Russians” with a new performance on Instagram.
“In the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity,” he told followers on Saturday, noting that he’s rarely sung the song since it was written during the Cold War for his first solo album, 1985’s “The Dream of the Blue Turtles.”
“For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny, and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment,” Sting wrote. “We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war,”
Sting urged fans to send humanitarian aid to Poland to be delivered to Ukrainian refugees.
Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld’s mother-in-law fled safely to Poland
Greg Gutfeld confirmed on-air that his mother-in-law has made it safely to Poland after being at a hotel in Lviv, Ukraine, amid the ongoing crisis.
Gutfeld shared the news with his colleagues on “The Five” on Thursday.
“Just to let everybody know, my mother-in-law crossed into Poland about half an hour ago,” he said. “She’s in a car on the way to Warsaw to see her daughter.”
‘DWTS’ pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy flees Ukraine
Ukrainian former “Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy shared a video on Instagram telling his followers he made it on a flight to Los Angeles after fleeing Ukraine.
The choreographer showed himself inside an airport terminal in Poland in a Wednesday Instagram video to discuss the current invasion of his home country. He signed off moments before boarding his U.S.-bound flight: “Getting on the plane, talk to you from L.A.”
Chmerkovskiy initially planned to stay in Ukraine when the crisis first began but on Monday confirmed that he had safely fled to Warsaw, Poland by train. In an earlier Instagram story, he described the train stations in Ukraine as “insane.”
From Warsaw, Poland he posted a video Tuesday describing his exit from Ukraine amid the invasion, saying that he’s “going to need a lot of therapy” after what he endured.
Chmerkovskiy described his harrowing train ride out of Ukraine and into Poland as “like out of a movie” and said he felt “guilt” for escaping. He said he went 36 hours without sleep during the trek and remained standing for most of it so as not to take up an additional seat.
“I’m having a horrible time. I’m having very mixed emotions. I have my friends there, my friends in (the) frontline,” he said. “I can’t hear from some of the people. I can’t get in touch with them. I don’t know if they’re dead.”
Oprah writes about Ukraine’s courage amid invasion
Oprah Winfrey wrote a lengthy message on her Oprah Daily website to honor the Ukrainian people during these tumultuous times.
“The courage of the Ukrainian people has lit a fire within people all over the world—count me among them. United as one to resist subjugation by Russia through any means necessary, their living, breathing example stands as a profound wake-up call to all of us,” Winfrey wrote on the Tuesday post. “We must not take our democracy for granted.”
Winfrey also praised Zelenskyy’s “inspirational leadership” and acknowledged other heroes such as the volunteers who have taken up arms.
“Already many lives have been lost, and families separated, and doubtless there are dark days to come,” she added. “The Ukrainian people are giving us a big lesson in how to act courageously, and now we need to ensure that those lessons endure, every day forward, in everything we do.”
Elton John stands for an end to the violence
Elton John shared a message on Feb. 27 in support of “the people of Ukraine who do not deserve to live through this nightmare.”
“For over 20 years, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has supported some of the most vulnerable people in Ukraine with access to HIV services and care, as part of our commitment to communities across Eastern Europe and Central Asia,” the post said. “During these devastating times, we stand for an end to the violence and suffering in Ukraine so that life-saving services and humanitarian aid can reach those desperately in need.”
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Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds match refugee donations
Celebrity couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds announced Feb. 27 they are matching donations up to $1 million made to USA for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a U.N. agency that works to aid and protect refugees.
“@usaforunhcr is on the ground helping the 50,000+ Ukrainians who had to flee their homes in less than 48 hours,” Lively explained in a social media post. “@usaforunhcr is providing life saving aid, and also working with neighboring countries to ensure protection for these families.”
Angelina Jolie focuses on those displaced, refugees
Actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie took to Instagram and said she’s “praying for the people in Ukraine.”
“My focus along with my @refugees colleagues is that everything possible is done to ensure the protection and basic human rights of those displaced, and refugees in the region. We have already seen reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety,” Jolie continued her statement. “It is too soon to know what will happen, but the significance of this moment – for the people of Ukraine, and for the international rule of law – cannot be overstated.”
Prince William, Duchess Kate stand with Ukraine
Prince William and Duchess Catherine of Cambridge recalled meeting President Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, in October 2020, when they said they had “the privilege” to “learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future.”
The royal couple added in the tweet, signed with their initials: “Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
On March 9, Will and Kate visited the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in the Holland Park neighborhood of London to see the kind of efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the U.K. and across Europe.
Bearing homemade cakes baked by Kate for the workers at the center, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured the facility with Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.K., Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko.
They met with volunteers and members of the local Ukrainian community, helped sort and package some of the enormous supply of donations coming into the center, and heard about the challenges of getting aid to where it’s most needed.
Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan support Ukraine at NAACP Image Awards
As Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were honored with the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards Feb. 26 Harry showed gratitude to the NAACP for welcoming him into their community before he spoke about those in Ukraine impacted by the ongoing Russian invasion.
“We would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine who urgently need our continued support as a global community,” Harry said while standing next to his wife. The couple was recognized for their outreach efforts in the U.S. and around the world.
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Prince Harry and Meghan have made donations to several organizations including HIAS, The HALO Trust and Are We Europe to provide aid to Ukraine, according to their Archewell website.
Prince Charles calls Ukraine invasion ‘unconscionable’
During a speech in the English coastal city of Southend-on-Sea on March 1, Prince Charles denounced the violence taking place in Ukraine and likened it to the murder of Parliament member Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death last year, according to the BBC.
“What we saw in the terrible tragedy in Southend was an attack on democracy, on an open society, on freedom itself,” Charles said. “We are seeing those same values under attack today in Ukraine in the most unconscionable way. In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression.”
On March 9, Charles visited a London church to visit a refugee support program where he met with refugees from previous conflicts, praised their courage and delivered remarks alluding to the Ukraine situation.
“For me, it is an immeasurable tragedy that so much death and destruction exists around the world at this present time, leading to such utter misery for so many people who have to leave their countries like you have,” the prince said.
“It seems even more insane when we have a global emergency at the same time, of mammoth proportions, to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, which are the ultimate threat multipliers.”
Meghan McCain is ‘disgusted’
Meghan McCain shared a “Free Ukraine” photo on her Instagram and expressed her disdain for those in support of Russia’s invasion.
“I am nothing short of disgusted with the abject Putin propaganda coming out of so many people within the GOP and conservative media,” McCain wrote.
The former “View” co-host said the citizens of Ukraine are entitled to living in a free democracy.
“If Ukraine falls, the signals sent globally will be cataclysmic – expect China to invade Taiwan next. A threat to democracy anywhere, is a threat to democracy everywhere. That is not war mongering, it’s the stark reality of our geopolitics,” McCain wrote. “Some of you should really be taking a hard look about what exactly you stand for and why you’re so hypnotized by Vladimir Putin. I won’t forget, history won’t forget where you were in this moment.”
Miley Cyrus is ‘standing in solidarity’
Miley Cyrus shared a statement to her Twitter noting she was “heartbroken” by the events taking place in Ukraine. She reflected on her time in Kyiv filming “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” and recounted how kind Ukrainians were to her.
“This conflict can lead to many more deaths, another refugee crisis with so many forced to flee their homes and more,” Cyrus wrote. “I am standing in solidarity with everyone in Ukraine who is affected by this attack and with our global community who is calling for an immediate end to this violence.”
Contributing: Kim Willis, Elise Brisco, Amy Haneline, Edward Segarra, Charles Trepany, Luciana Lopez, Maureen Groppe and Kim Hjelmgaard, John Bacon, Charles Ventura, Christal Hayes, Celina Tebor, Janet Loehrke, Ramon Padilla, Stephen J. Beard, George Petras USA TODAY; Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism