Leonardo DiCaprio Donates $10 Million To Ukraine, Homeland Of His Grandmother

Elizabeth Spina
Leo DiCaprio
YouTube | finisher489

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, celebrities have been speaking up, raising awareness, donating money, and using their platforms to raise money, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Gigi Hadid, Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, and Paulina Porizkova.

Among them is Oscar-winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently donated a record-breaking sum to the cause.

The ongoing crisis taking place in Ukraine has been met with support by American celebrities who have been donating significant sums of money.

Ukraine flag
Unsplash | Max Kukurudziak

They have also been using their platforms to raise more money and awareness.

On February 14th, Russia's leader Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale military attack against Ukraine.

Ukraine
Unsplash | Eugene

In the 14 days since Ukraine has been under attack, two million civilians have fled the country and over 1000 have been killed, sparking worldwide protest.

Ashton Kutcher and Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis have started fundraising, with a goal to raise and donate $30 million.

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis
Instagram | @aplusk

They have also pledged $3 million themselves.

"Today, I am a proud Ukrainian," Mila penned on the GoFundMe page.

"While my family came to the United States in 1991, I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983. Ukrainians are proud and brave people who deserve our help in their time of need," she added.

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis
Instagram | @aplusk

She later gave fans an update on their fundraising progress.

"UPDATE!! 15 million. We are halfway to our goal. Thank you for the support!" she said via Instagram.

"We just wanted to give you a quick update as to where we stand with the fundraising. We're halfway through," she added.

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis
Instagram | @aplusk

"We're super-excited, and we want to say thank you to each and every single one of you. It's been an incredible past 48 hours."

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have also pledged to match donations of up to $1 million.

Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds
Instagram | @vancityreynolds

"In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection. When you donate, we'll match it up to $1,000,000, creating double the support," Reynolds tweeted.

Gigi Hadid is also showing her support. The model revealed her plans to donate her entire earnings from her fall 2022 runway show.

Gigi Hadid
Instagram | @gigihadid

"To aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine. Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice," she wrote via Instagram.

"May we all see each other as brothers and sisters, beyond politics, beyond race, beyond religion. At the end of the day, innocent lives pay for war, not leaders. HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE," Hadid added.

One celeb has recently donated a record-breaking sum of $10 million — Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leo DiCaprio
Giphy | The Academy Awards

The Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood star has opened up several times in the past about being of Ukrainian descent and about his grandmother who lived in Odessa before immigrating to Germany. She passed away in 2008.

According to reports, his grandmother emigrated from Ukraine with her parents before DiCaprio's mother was born.

Leonardo DiCaprio
YouTube | finisher489

While DiCaprio planned to quietly make his donation without alerting the public, the news was announced by the International Visegrad Fund.