Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.
The Office of the President of Ukraine released a statement on Facebook Thursday praising the Oscar-winning actor for his work.
“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," reads the translated statement. "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."
The statement also notes that the actor, who visited the country back in 2021 in “preparation” for the documentary, also attended a press briefing the Office of the President on Thursday, and spoke with journalists and the military.
“Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, including Western politicians, lack. The more such people in our country now, true friends of Ukraine, who support the struggle for freedom, the sooner it will be possible to stop Russia’s treacherous attack,” the statement continues.
Penn is no stranger to anti-war and humanitarian operations. The 2020 Discovery+ documentary Citizen Penn chronicled his efforts setting up the non-profit organization Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE, in response to the Haiti earthquakes of 2010. CORE also assisted with the COVID-19 response in the United States.