Hayden Panettiere is helping ex Wladimir Klitschko raise awareness for Ukraine.
Just hours after Russia, under the order of President Vladimir Putin, began attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure, former pro boxer Wladimir took to Instagram and vowed to fight on the front lines for his home country. It was a powerful message that Hayden—she shares daughter Kaya, 7, with Wladimir—felt she needed to share.
"I am writing to you from Kyiv, the capital of a country at war, a country being attacked and invaded from all sides," the 45-year-old captioned a Feb. 24 Instagram post, which Hayden also posted to her Instagram Story. "It is not ‘the war of Ukraine,' it is Putin's war. Meticulous preparations were hidden behind the fog of the last few weeks in order to set in motion a plan that had been drawn up for months. No more fog and false diplomatic declarations."
Later, he tweeted (and Hayden also reshared), "The world is watching how reckless and deadly imperialism is, not just for #Ukraine but the whole world. Let history be a lesson to not be repeated."
On Feb. 25, Hayden also shared a few words about the crisis, captioning an Instagram post, "I have personally witnessed the strength of the Ukrainian people who fought so hard for their independence and have continued to passionately defend their country over the years. What Putin is doing is an absolute disgrace!"
"This horrific moment in history sends a terrifying message: the message that in this day and age, in year 2022, it's okay to violate the rights of free people and allow autocrats like Putin to take whatever they please," she added. "I'm praying for my family and friends there and everyone who's fighting."
Wladimir, who represented the Eastern European country in the 1996 Olympic Games, enlisted in Ukraine's reserve army earlier this month, according to ESPN.
His brother, Vitali Klitschko—a boxing world champion—has served as the mayor of Kyiv since 2014.
"It's already a bloody war," Vitali told ITV's Good Morning Britain in an interview with his brother Feb. 24. "I don't have another choice. I have to do that. I would fight."
Added Vitali, "I believe in Ukraine, I believe in my country and I believe in my people."