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Angelina Jolie Visits Lviv, Ukraine, to 'Welcome Internally Displaced Ukrainians': Reports

Shafiq Najib
4 min read
Angelina Jolie Visits Lviv, Ukraine, to 'Welcome Internally Displaced Ukrainians': Reports

Angelina Jolie has made a surprise visit to Ukraine.

On Saturday, the Eternals actress was spotted at a cafe in Lviv, Ukraine, in a video filmed by an onlooker. Her presence drew attention from the crowd in the shop as one fan was seen asking for her autograph.

In the clip, Jolie, 46, also waved at the camera as she waited in line while accompanied by a man. She reportedly also visited children injured in an April 8 bombing outside Kramatorsk station, which killed more than 50 civilians, according to the governor.

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Other footage shared on Twitter shows the Special Envoy to the United Nations holding the hand of what seemed like an older man to comfort him as she was surrounded by an entourage.

RELATED: U.N. Envoy Angelina Jolie Outlines What Constitutes 'War Crimes' amid International Conflicts

The Kyiv Independent also tweeted a photo of Jolie at the central railway station joining a large group of crowds on Saturday. The outlet reported the actress was there "to welcome the internally displaced Ukrainians arriving on an evacuation train from Pokrovsk, a city in Donetsk Oblast."

In this image provided by the Lviv city hall Angelina Jolie, Hollywood movie star and UNHCR goodwill ambassador, poses for photo with kids in Lviv, Ukraine, Saturday, Apr. 30, 2022. Ms Jolie was in Ukraine to meet the children affected by the war and visited hospitals and NGOs helping the injured and displaced. (Maksym Kozutsky/Lviv City Hall via AP)
In this image provided by the Lviv city hall Angelina Jolie, Hollywood movie star and UNHCR goodwill ambassador, poses for photo with kids in Lviv, Ukraine, Saturday, Apr. 30, 2022. Ms Jolie was in Ukraine to meet the children affected by the war and visited hospitals and NGOs helping the injured and displaced. (Maksym Kozutsky/Lviv City Hall via AP)

Maksym Kozutsky/Lviv City Hall via AP

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"As well as the millions who've fled over Ukraine's borders, nearly 2 million people are displaced inside their country, many trapped by fighting, denied access to aid, and in direct physical danger," Jolie captioned an Instagram post last month. "Without an end to the war children will pay the highest price — in trauma, lost childhoods and shattered lives."

Her visit to Ukraine comes as Russia's attack on the country continues after its forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the devastation change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than a million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

RELATED: Ukrainians Flood Town Purposely to Shield Themselves from Russian Aggression: 'We Saved Kyiv!'

Other celebrities have also stepped up to use their influence for a good cause, including Benedict Cumberbatch.

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While speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, the Doctor Strange actor revealed he is opening up his U.K. home to a Ukrainian family fleeing the war in their country.

"They've made it out of Ukraine, I'm monitoring their progress every day," he said of the family he's hosting with the help of the nonprofit Refugees at Home.

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"Sadly, they are undergoing some medical treatment — to say anything more about that would be invasion of their privacy and too much about when they're coming and how that's being managed would invade mine — but I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they've experienced, and that's within my home," Cumberbatch, 45, added.

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On Wednesday, Amal Clooney spoke about the ongoing war at an informal United Nations Security Council meeting in New York City.

"Ukraine is, today, a slaughterhouse. Right in the heart of Europe," she said. "Putin's aggressive war is so outrageous that even after warnings from the U.S., and Russia's long criminal record, Ukrainians could not believe this could happen."

RELATED: Former U.S. Marine Killed in Ukraine War, Leaves Behind Wife and New Baby

Clooney, 44, continued: "I still read news headlines, not knowing how to process them. Could it be that thousands of children are being forcibly deported to Russia? Are teenage girls being raped in the street in front of their family and neighbors? Was a building that had the word 'children' painted on it bombed? Are civilians in Mariupol being systematically starved and tortured to death? Unfortunately, the answer is yes."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.

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