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Ben Stiller tells of ‘harrowing stories’ from Ukraine visit
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A surprise visit: This handout picture taken and released by the Ukrainian President press-service on Monday shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) welcoming United States actor and United Nations Goodwill Envoy Ben Stiller during their meeting in Kyiv. (AFP/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)
U
nited States actor and comedian Ben Stiller said on Tuesday he had been deeply affected by the stories he heard from Ukrainians after a surprise visit to the war-torn country.
The Zoolander and Meet the Parents star was in Ukraine as an ambassador for the United Nation's refugee agency, UNHCR.
"The stories of the people who experienced the first few days of this war -- speaking to them and hearing these really harrowing stories -- was very affecting," Stiller said in a phone call, while traveling from Ukraine to Poland.
The 56-year-old actor-director visited Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, which was particularly hard-hit in the early stages of the Russian invasion.
"To see the physical destruction of those neighborhoods, it's really massive, and it's impossible not to be affected by that," Stiller said.
"There was one very young man who [...] talked about it like something out of a horror film, just being hit by these missiles, not knowing if he should stay or run.
"To see how traumatized he was -- he felt his life had been changed forever. It's really tough when you hear a young person say that, and you realize the effects of war are not always visible."
