'The threat was constant' — Russian drone flew over Angelina Jolie during her Ukraine trip
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie described how she was forced to wait while a drone flew over her during her recent trip to Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts, where she met families living on the front line of Russia's war.
"The threat of drones was a constant, heavy presence. You hear a low hum in the sky," she wrote on Instagram on Nov. 9.
"There was a moment when we had to pause and wait while a drone flew overhead. I was in protective gear, and for me, it was just a couple of days. The families here live with this every single day."
The actress previously visited Ukraine in the spring of 2022, where she met internally displaced people in Lviv.
Jolie traveled with the U.K.-based Legacy of War Foundation to embattled southern Ukraine on Nov. 5. The city of Kherson is just over the river from Russian positions and comes under frequent and heavy shelling, with Russian troops frequently targeting and killing civilians.
The actress wrote how Russian troops "track, hunt, and terrorize" locals constantly in a "human safari." During her visit, she noted how schools, clinics, and daycares were forced to operate underground, and she spoke to locals about the psychological impact of living under constant threats, as well as their fears about being forgotten by the world.
She called on governments to end the conflict and to protect civilians, both in Ukraine and also in Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while highlighting the work of several Ukrainian humanitarian organizations helping children, including Ukrainian Gen, Fight for Right, Help Ukraine, and Marsh Zhinok.
"If they can find the strength, governments ought to be able to do the same," she wrote.
Reports initially circulated that a Ukrainian man in Jolie’s entourage was detained by military enlistment officers and that Jolie visited the recruitment office with the man.
Local media later confirmed that the man, a reserve officer, lacked a valid medical commission certificate and was redirected to another location to settle the issue.
