Canadian actress and director Kathryn Winnick, an ambassador for the UNITED24 initiative, has arrived in Kyiv and recorded a video message to Ukrainians ahead of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. She filmed the message in front of the Motherland Monument, the giant statue overlooking the Ukrainian capital.
In the video, published by the UNITED24 project, Winnick said she was standing before the majestic Motherland Monument, which she said symbolised not only independence but resilience. She said she had first come to Kyiv four years earlier, at the start of the war, and was sincerely moved by the resilience of the Ukrainian people. She told Ukrainians that people stood with them and that there was no doubt the war would be won, before closing with "Glory to Ukraine."
Surviving a Russian air raid
Winnick later described living through a Russian attack during one night in Kyiv. She said it was an extremely difficult night, when air raid sirens woke her and she had only two minutes to reach a shelter. She said her heart was pounding as she tried to remember where her shoes and socks were, and she simply ran, because she did not know what would happen next.
The following day, Winnick visited the Pochaina book market, which was destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile.
Previous visits and Ukrainian roots
According to Ukrainian outlet UNIAN, Winnick visited the bombed town of Irpin in 2023 and cried at what she saw there.
Winnick became known worldwide for playing the shieldmaiden Lagertha in the television series "Vikings." She is also known for the series "Big Sky" and "Wu Assassins," and for the films "The Dark Tower" and "The Deputy."
The actress has deep Ukrainian roots. Her parents come from a family of Ukrainian emigrants, and until the age of eight she spoke only Ukrainian. As a child she attended a Ukrainian school in Toronto and was a member of the Ukrainian scouting organisation Plast.
