Sean Penn leaves Ukraine amid Russian attack, abandons car at Polish border

Sean Penn, the Hollywood actor who was filming a documentary on Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine when the invasion started, has managed to leave Ukraine, abandoning his car at the Polish border. 

The ‘Mystic River’ actor tweeted “Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road. Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value”. 

In the photo shared, it appears Penn is walking with a suitcase along a highway as cars remain stranded to one side. Ahead of the figure, more people can be seen travelling on foot. The border between Ukraine and Poland is over 500 kilometres long, and it is hence unclear where Penn crossed over. 

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Before leaving Ukraine, Penn had spoken about his take on the invasion and urged America to either join the fight or risk losing its soul. 

The actor tweeted at the time, “Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle.”, and added in a follow-up post, “Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost”.

Penn’s presence in Ukraine became clear when the Office of the President of Ukraine showered praises on the actor for his courage and honesty, which came on the same day as Russian president Vladimir Putin sent in his troops claiming to want to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the NATO-leaning neighbouring country. 

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Penn’s current documentary is being produced by VICE Studios and the actor has repeatedly urged followers interested in Ukraine’s story and its present situation to watch the 2015 documentary, ‘Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom’.