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Ukrainian actress Katheryn Winnick has praised Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “true leader.”
“I am so proud that he is the leader that we have,” Winnick told Fox News.
“I want the world to see… this is a true hero. This is a true leader who’s bringing the world together and highlighting our Ukraine,” Winnick said. “He’s staying with his people. He is willing to fight on the ground.”
“He understands our fight, that we are Ukrainian strong, and we will fight to the death to protect what is ours and is our home.”
“I’m very proud to be Ukrainian,” she said. “We have very different traditions and culture and the Ukrainian spirit is indomitable, it has such strong perseverance.”
Winnick’s heart is with Ukraine and it’s her homeland. Although she was born in Canada to Ukrainian parents, she speaks Ukrainian at home and has attended Ukrainian school every Saturday for 16 years.
Winnick urged the world to pay attention and stand with Ukraine because “this is not just a fight for Ukraine, but it’s really a fight for all of Europe, for democracy. All [of the] civilized world has to help Ukraine for the sake of humanity.”
“I just want everybody to unite and stop this war,” she continued.
“I know not even the Russian people want this, no one wants this,” Winnick said. “It’s important that everybody understands that we have the right to be free.”
“President Zelenskyy even said that any attacks, you won’t see our backs, you’ll see our faces. And that is a fantastic quote because that sums up the Ukrainian people. We will fight [but] you’ll see our faces, not our backs.”
“We have [our own] traditions, we have songs…we have stories that are passed onto generations of all the people that have fought for our independent country,” she said.
“I know I have that frustration also when I moved to Hollywood, as an actress… I’m very proud to be Ukrainian and I would walk into a casting room, and they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re looking for a Russian.’ And they think it’s the same thing.”
“And I’m like, ‘Wait a second. No, it’s a completely different language.’ Ukraine has completely different traditions and a completely different way of life,” she added.
More on this story via Fox News:
Winnick recalled meeting with Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena, just a few months ago to celebrate Ukraine’s 30 years of independence.
— Advertisement — Winnick also spoke about wanting the world to understand that Ukrainians are their own people. She recalled that when she first moved to Hollywood she was told by casting agents that Ukrainians and Russians were “the same.”
Winnick concluded by saying she is praying for her country.
“I pray for Ukraine….I pray for my family and friends. I pray for the soldiers that are out there right now on the ground, the civilians that are on the ground right now. And I pray for their safety and Slava Ukraini [glory to Ukraine].”
