Angelina Jolie has spoken about her recent trip to Ukraine, during which she visited Kharkiv and the Carpathian Mountains and met with children, teachers, coaches and families of prisoners of war. The actress stressed that Ukrainian communities continue to support children despite limited resources and constant Russian attacks.
Jolie wrote about the visit on her Instagram.
According to the actress, in Kharkiv, which is located close to the Russian border and is struck almost daily, some classrooms have been set up directly inside metro stations. Other schools are located entirely underground, where children study several floors below ground.
Jolie also visited Caramel Studio in Northern Saltivka, one of the hardest-hit parts of Kharkiv. There, young athletes led by Tetiana Yermashkevych continue training in an underground facility even during air raid alerts.
Another stop was the Aza Nizi Maza art studio, founded by artist Mykola Kolomiiets. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the studio moved underground so that children could continue making art in a safer space.
In the Carpathians, Jolie visited the Gen.Camp Family program, which helps men who spent years in Russian captivity reconnect with their families. She spoke with women who had raised their children on their own for years while campaigning for the release of their husbands.
Jolie’s son Knox led a Muay Thai class for the children. Earlier, it was reported that during the same trip, Jolie and her son also visited a boxing club in Kharkiv, where Knox trained alongside Ukrainian servicemen.
Jolie also paid tribute to Oleksii Yukov, the founder of the “Platsdarm” organization, who was involved in recovering, identifying and returning the bodies of fallen soldiers to their families. According to the actress, Yukov was killed on the front line in August.
“These local organizations, with limited resources, have found ways to keep going under impossible circumstances,” Jolie wrote.
