Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has paid a surprise visit to Ukraine amidst Russia's invasion of the country. Angelina Jolie, on Saturday, was spotted meeting displaced people and children in a cafe in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine. While in Lviv, she was also caught running for cover from a missile attack threat, along with a bunch of team members and locals present in the area.
A video of the incident shared online shows the actress evacuating the area swiftly with others around her as warning sirens continue to blare in the background.
During the episode, Angelina Jolie even politely waved at a person recording her. When asked by a man, “Are you afraid?” she said, “No, no, I am okay.”
Sharing a video of the incident, Hanna Liubakova, a journalist in Minsk, Belarus wrote, “This video is important to understand what Ukrainians go through every day in the country. Angelina Jolie is running with volunteers and other people to hide because of the threat of a missile attack.”
Angelina Jolie has received praise for visiting Ukraine and extending her support to displaced people.
A user pointed out, “Her [Angelina Jolie] presence there is at least highlighting the situation in Ukraine to more people. It will get press all around the world.”
A few were surprised to see how people were busy taking selfies.
Calling Angelina Jolie an “inspiration”, a person said, “With Ukraine falling off the news cycle, Angelina Jolie not just visiting but showing the sirens and having to go to a shelter as well as visiting displaced people will hopefully get it back in people's minds. She's a brilliant person and an inspiration.”
While Angelina Jolie is a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees special envoy, it is not known if she was in Ukraine in her official capacity. According to a report by AFP, Lviv regional governor Maxim Kozytski was also unaware of any such visit until Angelina Jolie arrived in the city. "For all of us, this visit has been a surprise," said Mr Kozytski said. The governor also shared photos and videos of the actress playing with children and posing with voluntary workers, the report added. In addition to this, Angelina Jolie is also said to have spoken to volunteers involved in getting psychological help to several people who had been displaced or fled.
Angelina Jolie also visited a hospital to meet the children injured in the bombardment of the Kramatorsk station. The attack has been attributed to a Russian missile, which the governor said killed over 50 civilians, who were trying to escape.
