Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to Kherson, Ukraine, according to various media reports. The famous actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador visited a maternity ward and children’s hospital in the war torn city. This region briefly became occupied by Russian forces in 2022 and today is subjected to the daily shelling of Russian troops. This will be Jolie’s second visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022.
While in Ukraine, Jolie wore a Ukrainian military-style bulletproof vest as a way to signal that she stands with the Ukrainian public. Photographs spreading across Tik Tok and Instagram document her exchanges with hospital staff and children. They commend her vigorous and passionate pursuit of humanitarian aid for the region. Beyond Kherson, she toured with Oksana in Mykolaiv, to the north-west of Kherson.
The situation in Ukraine is still very dangerous. Per new reports, Russian forces are closing their noose around Pokrovsk, and urban warfare is soaring. Art Menchynskyi, one of the most decorated members of the Ukrainian military, issued the troubling statement. She said that Russian troops are currently deployed in each and every district of the city. The conflict has alarmed experts worried about strategic military use in the region.
Emil Kastehelmi, a researcher with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, reflected on the greater strategic predicament facing Ukrainian troops. He stated, “Ukraine may be repeating a costly mistake in Pokrovsk … seen for example in Vuhledar and Kursk – a reluctance to conduct a controlled, militarily justified withdrawal from a threatened salient when the situation no longer favours the defender.”
In parallel to the humanitarian focus of Jolie’s visit, significant developments are occurring in Eastern Europe’s energy landscape. Poland is pushing forward negotiations to import U.S. liquefied natural gas to serve not just Poland and the Baltics, but Ukraine and Slovakia. Polish energy ministry officials expect to announce a joint declaration aimed at enhancing these imports following discussions at a transatlantic energy conference scheduled for later this week in Athens.
The energy talks have been contentious. Slovakia’s new Prime Minister, Robert Fico, is adamantly opposed to the EU’s embargo on Russian gas imports. European countries are scrambling to find Russian energy supplies replacements. Poland’s initiative is key to improving energy security, not only for Ukraine, but for the countries surrounding it.
Bulgaria faces challenges as it prepares to assume ownership of Lukoil’s Burgas oil refinery. This step comes in the wake of U.S. sanctions against the Russian oil firm. The U.S., alongside Britain, has imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies—Lukoil and Rosneft—due to President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
As these geopolitical and humanitarian issues unfold, the international community remains focused on the plight of civilians affected by the war. Angelina Jolie’s visit is a timely and powerful reminder of the human cost of that conflict. It amplifies the larger efforts to protect and prevail with energy resources even during chaos.