Angelina’s tears for Lviv refugees as she defies the air raid sirens
ANGELINA JOLIE wiped away tears yesterday as she spoke with refugees during a surprise visit to Ukraine.
The Hollywood star and UN ambassador didn’t flinch during an air raid alert while at a train station in the western city of Lviv, through which 1.5 million refugees have passed since Russia’s invasion two months ago. Instead, she calmly chatted with refugees on the platform and played with children.
The 46-year-old mother-of-six dabbed at tears as she talked with Mykola Halathan, 36, who described losing his mother and 12-year-old daughter in shelling before fleeing the devastated southern port city of Mariupol last month.
Mykola told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Angelina took my phone number and she said she was going to help me get new copies of my identity documents that I have lost. She was very kind.’
The steelworker, who worked at the Azovstal plant now encircled by Russian troops, said his mother Lidia, 67, and daughter Maria were hiding in the basement of the theatre in Mariupol that was struck by Russian missiles in March. He had left minutes earlier to fetch food. ‘I am living in a horror movie. I have nightmares all of the time, I cannot sleep at night,’ he said.
Ms Jolie’s visit came to light when she was photographed at a bakery on the outskirts of Lviv.
Rostyslav Hetman, an aid volunteer, said: ‘She was very warm and played with the children. She had time for everyone and no one was refused a selfie with her ... It is a beautiful thing that she has come here to show her support.’
Ms Jolie also spent time with injured children at a hospital and later visited a boarding school.
Among those at the hospital were victims of a Russian airstrike on a station at Kramatorsk that killed more than 50 people.
Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of Lviv regional administration, said: ‘She was very moved by their stories. Many people who saw Ms Jolie in the Lviv region could not believe that it was really her, but Ukraine has shown the world that we have a lot of incredible things.’