Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have announced plans to match up to $1 million in donations to the United Nations Refugee Agency for Ukrainians who have been displaced as a result of the recent Russian invasion. The celebrity couple announced their initiative on Instagram, Saturday.
“In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection,” Reynolds wrote in a post accompanied by a link to the United Nations Refugee Agency. “When you donate, we’ll match it up to $1,000,000, creating double the support.”
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Lively followed up in her own post writing, “@usaforunhcr is on the ground helping the 50,000+ Ukrainians who had to flee their homes in less than 48 hours. @usaforunhcr is providing life saving aid, and also working with neighboring countries to ensure protection for these families.”
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized an invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas region, before later launching a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In response to Russia’s invasion, the United States and its allies have decided to block “selected Russian banks” from accessing SWIFT, the world’s primary international payments system. Several other countries are providing the Ukrainians with weaponry and supplies to aid in their defense against Russia.
[Via]