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Hayden Panettiere confirmed her 7-year-old daughter is safe and “not in Ukraine” as Russia invades the country.
Panettiere shared the news in the comments section of an Instagram post where the actress condemned the Ukraine-Russia war on Friday. Panettiere shares daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko with former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Klitschko was hails from Ukraine and his brother, Vitali Klitschko, is the mayor of Kyiv.
“I have personally witnessed the strength of the Ukrainian people who fought so hard for their independence and have continued to passionately defend their country over the years,” the actress wrote in the caption of her post.
Hayden Panettiere confirmed her seven-year-old daughter she shares with former Ukranian boxer Wladimir Klitschko is “safe” and “not in Ukraine” as Russia invades the country.
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“This horrific moment in history sends a terrifying message: the message that in this day and age, in year 2022, it’s okay to violate the rights of free people and allow autocrats like Putin to take whatever they please,” she continued. “I’m praying for my family and friends there and everyone who’s fighting. I wish you had more support and I wish I was there fighting with you!”
She concluded, “For now, I ask for those of us who can’t be there to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and show your support for #democracy.”
Klitschko shared his own message condemning President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Panettiere and Klitschko both condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine in social media posts on Instagram.
“Therefore, I call upon all citizens to organize demonstrations and raise their voices against war, for democracy and for freedom,” Klitschko captioned a photo of himself holding his hand up to the camera with “demo-cracy” and “#demo4democracy” written on his palm. “I ask the people of the European democracies to stand side by side with the free, democracy-loving Ukrainian people.”
“The cowardly and murderous attack by the autocratic Russian regime on us must be stopped immediately,” he concluded his post. “Start ‘demo-cracy,’ a demonstration for democracy, against war, and for a peaceful and free future for the children of our continent.”
Russia invaded Ukraine Thursday and continues to do so from multiple sides along with airstrikes and explosions of key Ukranian cities, including Kyiv.
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Panettiere and Klitschko got engaged in 2013 before calling it quits in 2018.
Invading Russian forces closed in on Ukraine’s capital Friday, in an apparent encircling movement after a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video of himself and his senior aides outside the presidential office in Kyiv to reassure Ukrainians that he and other top officials would stay in the capital.
The invasion, anticipated for weeks, amounts to Europe’s largest ground conflict since World War II. It could also portend the emergence of a new “Iron Curtain” between the West and Russia, with global repercussions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
