Sean Penn calls Putin’s war on Ukraine a ‘brutal mistake’ and praises President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people for ‘historic symbols of courage’ as he films documentary during invasion
- The 61-year-old actor wrote: ‘I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind’
- He added: ‘Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost’
- Penn flew into the capital of Ukraine this week, Kyiv, and was seen sitting front and center at a government press briefing mere hours into the invasion
- The documentary —which has been in the works for month and has focused on the rising tensions in the region — is a VICE Studios production
Sean Penn called President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine a ‘brutal mistake’ as he took to Twitter with a scathing account of the Russian invasion which began on Thursday.
The 61-year-old actor wrote: ‘Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle.’
He added: ‘Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.’
Honest: Sean Penn called President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine a ‘brutal mistake’ as he took to Twitter with a scathing account of the Russian invasion which began on Thursday.
Penn flew into the capital of Ukraine this week, Kyiv, and was seen sitting front and center at a government press briefing mere hours into the invasion as he represented VICE for a documentary being filmed about the war, which Putin deemed a ‘special military operation.’
The documentary —which has been in the works for month and has focused on the rising tensions in the region — is a VICE Studios production, ‘in association with VICE World News and Endeavor Content,’ according to a spokesman for the media group.
In a translated Facebook post, the Ukrainian government said it was grateful for Penn being there and he was lauded as being more courageous than Western leaders.
He added: ‘Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost’
On deck: Penn flew into the capital of Ukraine this week, Kyiv, and was seen sitting front and center at a government press briefing mere hours into the invasion as he represented VICE for a documentary being filmed about the war, which Putin deemed a ‘special military operation’
In action: The documentary —which has been in the works for month and has focused on the rising tensions in the region — is a VICE Studios production, ‘in association with VICE World News and Endeavor Content,’ according to a spokesman for the media group
‘An American actor and filmmaker, Oscar winner Sean Penn arrived to Ukraine,’ the statement read. ‘The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country.
‘Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.
‘This morning the director visited the Office of the President and visited the press briefing of the advisor of the head of the Office of the Head of State Mikhail Podolâk and the Vice Prime Minister – the Minister of the Reintegration of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine Irina Vere щуuk.
Listening: He then met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted a video of their meeting on his Instagram account
Doing his best: Their conversation was muted but Zelensky, a former comedian and actor himself, wrote in a caption: ‘The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher the likelihood of stopping Russia!’
‘He spoke to journalists, to our military, saw how we defend our country.
‘Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, especially western politicians lack.’
He then met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted a video of their meeting on his Instagram account.
Their conversation was muted but Zelensky, a former comedian and actor himself, wrote in a caption: ‘The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher the likelihood of stopping Russia!’
In a video shared on Saturday, Zelensky gave a hopeful update on the third day of attacks as he said: ‘We successfully fought off enemy attacks. We are defending our country, our land, future of our children.’
Russia has continued its invasion and reportedly claimed on Saturday that it seized the southern city of Melitopol in efforts to redraw European maps under Putin’s rule, as hundreds of thousands of civilians flee the country for safety while Ukrainian forces continue to defend their country.
Trying: Penn previously filmed his philanthropic efforts in Haiti for a documentary called Citizen Penn, after a devastating earthquake shook the nation; seen in 2021
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