Millions of Hollywood dollars have been pledged to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, reports international media. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $10 million, according to polishnews.co.uk - and it's not just because he's a philanthropist. The 47-year-old star has Ukrainian roots - his grandmother, Helena, was born in Odessa in southern Ukraine, from where she moved to Germany in 1917. Leonardo, raised by his mother, Irmelin, and grandmother, was accompanied by both to the premieres of his films such as Titanic and The Man In The Iron Mask. Leonardo DiCaprio's $10 million donation to Ukraine was revealed by the International Visegrad Fund, which promotes development in Eastern Europe, reports polishnews.co.uk.
Ukraine-born actress Mila Kunis and husband Ashton Kutcher pledged to match up to $3 million in donations, aiming to raise $30 million in total. In an update shared two days ago, Mila and Ashton revealed they were at $15 million, halfway to the goal. The funds raised will be donated to housing Ukrainian refugees, they said. Mila Kunis was born in Chernivitsi, southern Ukraine, in 1983 and moved to USA in 1991; "I have always considered myself an American, a proud American. ... But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian," she said in a video shared on Instagram. "I've never been more proud to be married to a Ukrainian," Ashton Kutcher added. The couple, who famously co-starred as Jackie and Kelso on That 70s Show, married in 2015.
Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich, born in Ukraine like Mila Kunis, provided information on organizations helping Ukrainians. "I am heartbroken and dumbstruck trying to process the events of this week in my birthplace of Ukraine. My country and people being bombed. Friends and family in hiding. My blood and my roots come from both Russia and Ukraine. I am torn in two as I watch the horror unfolding, the country being destroyed, families being displaced, their whole life lying in charred fragments around them. I remember the war in my father's homeland of former Yugoslavia and the stories my family tells of 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 in bloodshed and tears," she wrote.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted condemnation from several celebrities, among them Angelina Jolie and Priyanka Chopra who are both United Nations ambassadors.