Jessica Chastain is beginning to share details from her trip to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, during which she met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a series of statements posted to her Twitter on Thursday, the 355 and Molly's Game actress details the long journey to the country, while including a 50-second video featuring Urkanian children and others she met while there. Chastain says she's posting the video now as "I needed a few weeks to process everything I saw from my trip to Kyiv."
"We landed in Poland, drove 4 hrs then took a train for another 11," she wrote in a tweet alongside the video. "I was nervous and the length of the journey gave me time to calm myself. I'm going to now start sharing with you guys what I saw."
Chastain can be heard narrating over various clips in the video, listing off startling statistics related to the war. "So the number of refugees from Ukraine now stands at 5.1 million who've left for the European Union countries, another 7.7 million who are internally displaced," she says, as she driving in a car through Kyiv. "The population of Ukraine before the war was 44 million. War crimes have resulted in the deaths of 6,710 civilians, including 359 children. 8,741 civilians, including 700 children were injured."
While some clips show buildings in the surrounding area of her car, much of it features the actress and producer visiting a local children's hospital. One point, a child hand's Chastain a picture they created, which at the end of the video she is seen with back in her car, where it rests in her lap.
"One of the experiences from this life changing trip was my visit to the children's hospital: Ohmatdyt. I had the opportunity to meet incredible children and the director, Volodymyr Zhovnir. The children amazed me with their hope and strength," she said of the video's contents in a tweet.
"Many had been displaced from their homes and spent months in the hospital. It is a huge humanitarian crisis going on in the Ukraine. We can't forget the innocent ones effected [sic] by senseless acts of violence," she added. "I am grateful to have met these sweet little kids with big brave hearts."
News of Chastain's visit to Ukraine first came back in early August, when President Zelensky shared ap photo of the duo on his Telegram profile.
"American actress Jessica Chastain is in Ukraine today. For us, such visits of famous people are extremely valuable," Zelenksy wrote, according to the New York Post. "Thanks to this, the world will hear, know and understand the truth about what is happening in our country even more."
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