Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have pledged to match up to $3 million worth of donations for Ukrainian refugees as a direct response to the Russian attack on the country of Kunis’s birth.
The pair, who met as costars on That ’70s Show, shared their efforts to raise $30 million in aid for Ukrainian people in a video posted to Instagram. Kunis began by sharing her connection to Ukraine, where she was born when it was still a Soviet state before she and her family came to the United States. “I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983,” she said in the video. “I came to America in 1991. I have always considered myself an American, a proud American. I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family. But today I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.”
Adds Kutcher, “The events that have unfolded in Ukraine are devastating.”
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The couple have set up a GoFundMe to collect refugee aid that will fund support through flexport.org and airbnb.org. “The principal challenge right now is logistics. We need to get housing and we need to get supplies and resources into the area,” says Kutcher. “Flexport is going to be transporting the much-needed humanitarian aid directly to known NGOs on the ground that can ensure that that aid is received by the most-needed parties.” Kunis said Airbnb will be “supporting housing and the cost of living to those who have taken refugees.” (Kutcher bought into Airbnb through A-Grade Investments in 2011.)
This isn’t the first time Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have donated money or lent their public support to a country close to Kunis’s heritage. Last year Kunis, who is Jewish, publicly defended the Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival against a boycott that Palestinian activists said was an attempt to distract from Israel’s occupation. In 2018 Kutcher, along with other notable celebrities like Pharrell Williams and Fran Drescher, attended a gala to raise funds for the Israel Defense Forces.
Kunis also isn’t the only celebrity from Ukraine who is speaking out. Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy posted live content on Instagram of his experience in the country as Russia invaded. Now safely home in the United States with his family, he continues to share updates on what’s happening in Ukraine along with what can be done to help.
The video concludes with Kunis urging a call to action for anyone who can help. “The people of Ukraine are strong and brave, but being strong and brave doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of support,” she said. “We need to support the people of Ukraine. Please help us. Thank you.”
