For love of country. Mila Kunis, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and more Ukrainian celebrities are taking a stand and showing support for their homeland amid the unrest in Ukraine.
“I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983. I came to America in 1991 and I have always considered myself an American. A proud American,” Kunis, 38, said in a social media video on March 3, just weeks after the European country was attacked by Russia. “I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family. But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.”
The That ‘70s Show alum was joined by her husband, Ashton Kutcher, in the clip, as the duo urged their followers to send any financial aid they could to the Ukrainian people amid the invasion.
“And I have never been more proud to be married to a Ukrainian,” Kutcher, 44, said in the video, explaining that the couple had created a GoFundMe to try and raise $30 million in support of refugee aid and other humanitarian efforts.
The Ranch alum captioned the video with a message about their fundraising efforts.
“While we are witnessing the bravery of Ukrainians, we are also bearing witness to the unimaginable burden of those who have chosen safety,” Kutcher wrote via Instagram. “Through GoFundMe, this fundraiser will provide an immediate impact on refugee and humanitarian aid efforts.”
Chmerkovskiy, for his part, was stuck in Ukraine working on the country’s version of World of Dance, when Russia first invaded. While the 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars alum was able to get back to the United States in early March, he and his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, who are both from the eastern European nation, have been actively trying to help for their people.
“My parents fled this country for this exact reason,” Val, 35, wrote via Instagram Story in February. “Not because it wasn’t good to them, but because their kids would see war eventually. It’s a cruel irony that 28 years later my brother is in a bomb shelter in [Kyiv]. If they hadn’t left I would be on the front lines defending my home right now.”
The two-time DWTS winner added: “And the most heartbreaking thing of all, I would be either killing or dying at the hands of my fellow brothers. The Russian people don’t want this!! We stood by each others’ side. We loved and celebrated one another. I speak Russian, yes, but make no mistake I am a proud Ukrainian and now the world will finally know the difference.”
Scroll down to see how Ukrainian stars are working toward peace in the Ukraine: