A shocking visit by the famous Hollywood actress and former UN helper, Angelina Jolie, to Ukraine on Tuesday was interrupted.
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According to local news, an issue came up when officers recruiting soldiers stopped her group. They reportedly took one of her team members and forced him to join the military.
What Happened?
- The event took place at a military checkpoint near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk.
- Jolie’s group was traveling toward a part of the Kherson area that the Ukrainian government controls.
- The team member (sometimes called her driver, sometimes her bodyguard) told the officers he was driving an “important person.”
- Despite this, the military recruitment officers took him away.
Jolie Tries to Help
- Videos on social media show that Jolie went to the recruiting center herself to try and get her team member released.
- Some sources say she even tried to contact the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to solve the problem.
- Ukrainian military sources first said Jolie was only at the center to “use the restroom” and that her visit had nothing to do with the man being held.
- They later confirmed the detained man was a Ukrainian citizen, a reserve officer with no reason to avoid military service, and that he was kept for further processing.
Trip Continues
In the end, the American actress left the detained crew member behind and kept going on her trip.
Issues with Recruiting
- Ukrainian officers who enforce the draft have been criticized for how they take men into the army. Viral videos show men being pulled into vans—a method people now call “busification.”
- This has caused a lot of anger, and there are many reports of fights and even deaths linked to people being forced to join the military.
- A British journalist, Jerome Starkey, recently shared that his Ukrainian translator was suddenly forced into service at a routine checkpoint. A soldier reportedly joked, “Your friend has gone to war. Bang, bang!”
- Countries are watching this closely. The Foreign Minister of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, called these practices “an open manhunt” and accused Western countries of ignoring the problem.
Previous Visits and Claims
- Jolie had previously visited Ukraine in April 2022, soon after the conflict grew worse. Other stars like Ben Stiller and Sean Penn also visited the country around that time.
- The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, has claimed that Hollywood stars were paid by USAID (an American group that funds political projects) to promote messages supporting the Ukrainian government.
