Mila Kunis Expresses Her Love for Native Ukraine in 2022 Appearance at the Oscars: ‘I’m Inspired By Their Resilience’

She is lending her support. While in attendance to present at the 2022 Oscars, Mila Kunis made a point of expressing her support for Ukraine in the midst of the Russian invasion.

“Recent global events have left many of us feeling gutted, but when you witness the strength and dignity of those facing such devastation, it’s impossible not to be moved by their resilience,” Kunis, 38, said during her presentation at the ceremony on Sunday, March 27. “One cannot help but be in awe of those who find the strength to fight on in the face of unimaginable darkness.”

Kunis, who was joined on the red carpet by husband Ashton Kutcher, introduced Reba McEntire’s performance of “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days, praising its message of hope and perseverance. The Oscars planned a moment of silence after the 67-year-old Reba alum’s performance.

“While film is an important medium for us to express our humanity in times of conflict, the reality is that millions of families in Ukraine require food, medical care, clean water, and emergency services,” the statement read, before listing additional ways viewers can help. “Resources are limited, and we — as a global community — can do more.”

Before moving to Los Angeles in 1991, the That 70s Show alum grew up in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, with her immediate family.

“We were the last of my family to migrate,” Kunis told Maria Shriver during an interview for Shriver Media’s The Sunday Paper newsletter on March 13. “When we came to the States, I was 7-and-a-half [or] 8 [and] I very much have always felt like an American. People were like, ‘Oh, you’re so Eastern European.’ I was like, ‘I’m so L.A.! What do you mean?’”

After Russian troops began invading several Ukrainian cities in February, the actress’s attitude began to shift.

“And then this happens — and we have friends in Ukraine, Ashton [Kutcher, my husband] and I went and met [President] Zelenskyy three and a half years [ago] — and I can’t express or explain what came over me,” the Bad Moms star told the philanthropist. “But then I realised, ‘Oh, my God, I feel like a piece of my heart just got ripped out.'” It was the strangest sensation.”

Kunis and Jobs, 44, have been vocal about assisting the democratic country during the war, launching a GoFundMe campaign to help refugees, which has raised more than $30 million, and teaching their children — Wyatt, 7, and Dimitri, 5 — about the global situation.

“Mila and Ashton have started a kindness club for their kids,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively earlier this month. “Wyatt and Dimitri are aware that something is wrong in Ukraine and that people, particularly children, are suffering.” They’ve heard that from their parents and are eager to assist.”