Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many celebrities have been speaking up and helping however they can, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Gigi Hadid, Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn , and Paulina Porizkova.
Among them is Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter, who are opening their doors to a Ukrainian family who fled their war-torn country, seeking refuge.
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On February 14th, Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale military attack against Ukraine.
The ongoing crisis taking place in Ukraine has been met with support by American celebrities who have been using their platforms to raise awareness and donating large sums of money.
Ashton Kutcher and Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis have started fundraising, with a goal to raise and donate $30 million.
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.”
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively also pledged to match donations of up to $1 million.
“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 after news of Russia’s invasion surfaced.
Gigi Hadid is also showing her support. The model revealed her plans to donate her entire earnings from her fall 2022 runway show.
“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.
Now, Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter have chosen to help by opening their doors to Ukrainian refugees.
The Doctor Strange actor recently revealed to Sky News that he and his wife have taken in a Ukrainian family that fled their war-torn country.
He initially unveiled his plans to contribute to the U.K. government’s “Homes for Ukraine” plan back in March.
Not only is Cumberbatch now housing a Ukrainian family of refugees, he and his wife have also been providing financial assistance to U.K.-based Ukrainian nationals who are supporting their relatives.
“I’ve been trying to help other Ukrainian families … to house their extended families en masse, which you know they want to do, but it’s very costly,” he said. “So I’ve been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances.”
“We need to see what we can do as citizens of the world, citizens of Europe and people who want a better place and a better outcome for this horrendous moment — for these people with children, with families who are struggling to survive as rockets rain down on their cities,” the Marvel star later said after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April.
“They’ve made it out of Ukraine, I’m monitoring their progress every day,” he said.
While he didn’t disclose many details about the family, he did reveal that they are undergoing medical treatment.
“Sadly, they are undergoing some medical treatment — to say anything more about that would be invasion of their privacy and too much about when they’re coming and how that’s being managed would invade mine,” Cumberbatch explained.
“But I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home,” he added.
“I would urge people to seek out further help to bolster their efforts, and people are doing an amazing amount,” he added.
“It makes me very proud, very, very proud of our country and very proud of what we can be at our best as a human race,” he said.
