Angelina Jolie made a surprise trip to Ukraine, where she brought smiles to fans whose lives have been torn apart by Russia's ongoing invasion.
The humanitarian, 46, who is a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees and has championed women and children's causes throughout her career, is visiting as part of a "private humanitarian fact-finding mission focused on the needs of children" that aims to show support for Ukrainian civilians and "bear witness to the human impact of the conflict," per a press release.
"I'm humbled to witness the resilience and courage and dignity of the Ukrainian people in the face of the terror and trauma of a war they did not choose," Angelina said in a statement. "The impact the war is having on a generation of Ukrainian children is devastating to see."
On April 30, Jolie traveled to the city of Lviv, where she visited a train station. There, she met kids and volunteers working with displaced residents, who told her that each of the psychiatrists on duty spoke to about 15 people a day, according to Reuters.
The news wire quoted the actress, a mother of six, as saying, "They must be in shock.... I know how trauma affects children, I know just having somebody show how much they matter, how much their voices matter, I know how healing that is for them."
Later, air-raid sirens started to sound and Jolie and her aides quickly left the station, Reuters said.
Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy shared on Telegram that also while in Lviv, the Eternals actress met injured children and took photos with kids at a local boarding school, per AP.
"She was very moved by (the children's) stories," Maksym wrote, per the outlet. "One girl was even able to privately tell Ms. Jolie about a dream she'd had."
He also reportedly noted that her visit was "a surprise to us all," adding, "Plenty of people who saw Ms. Jolie in the Lviv region could not believe that it was really her."
Elsewhere on her journey, Angelina met with doctors and volunteers, as well as local organizations that are focused on protecting orphaned and displaced children amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, which began Feb. 24.
In her statement, Angelina continued, "No child anywhere should have to flee their homes, or witness the murder of their loved ones, or experience shelling and the destruction of their homes. Yet that is the reality of so many children in Ukraine and around the world."
Angelina is advocating for safe passageways between countries to be opened in order to allow the urgent evacuation of Ukrainian civilians as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to its people, especially children. She is also urging for support for all people who have been displaced in other countries as a result of conflict too.
"There are well over 84 million people displaced globally at this moment, over half of them children, who also must not be forgotten," she shared in her statement. "The outpouring of support for the Ukrainian people globally is an opportunity to recommit to the right to security and equality of all people, and to building a stronger United Nations that is better equipped to prevent conflict and uphold basic human rights, whether in Ukraine or in any other part of the world."