He was one of the first Hollywood stars to come to the rescue as he climbed Ukraine to make a military documentary about the ongoing Russian attack on Vice.
But although there is no immediate end to the conflict, actor and director Sean Penn was spotted safely at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday when he went out with his estranged wife Leila George and their dogs.
Just days earlier, the 61-year-old Oscar winner revealed how his brief visit to Ukraine ended with him walking “kilometers” to the safety of the Polish border.
That was fast! Sean Penn had already returned to LA on Wednesday while walking his dogs with his estranged wife, Leila George. He was in Ukraine to make a documentary about the Russian invasion
Earlier this week, Penn shared his experience in trying to get out of war-torn Ukraine on Twitter.
The Milk star said he and his film crew decided to abandon their car and move on foot after seeing thousands of Ukrainians flee for safety, leaving lines of vehicles stretching for miles.
As he tweeted Monday, Sean described how the cars were full of women and children, with their only valuable possession being the vehicle they were traveling in.
Calm down: He showed his strong hands in a black T-shirt, along with gray jeans and white sneakers. Layla wore a white Mickey Mouse T-shirt with gray tracksuits, white shoes and a baseball cap.
Strange pairing: the couple’s reunion comes after Leila filed for divorce in October, after they got married a year earlier
Together again? Sean has been silent about the state of their relationship in recent months. They have been seen together several times since New Year’s Eve; seen in 2020 in LA
Sharing a photo, dragging a glued suitcase, Sean wrote: “Two colleagues and I drove miles to the Polish border after leaving our car on the side of the road.
“Almost all the cars in this photo carry only women and children, most without any traces of luggage or car, which is their only valuable possession.”
Sean has been making a documentary about escalating tensions in Ukraine since November last year.
Escape: Penn revealed Monday that he had to travel miles to the Polish border as he tried to leave Ukraine while filming a VICE documentary about Russia’s invasion
This comes after Sean called President Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine “brutal mistake”.
Over the weekend, he wrote: “Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he does not reconcile, I believe that Mr. Putin will make the most terrible mistake for all mankind. President Green and the Ukrainian people have risen as historical symbols of courage and principle. “
He added: “Ukraine is the tip of the iceberg of the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow her to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.
Listening: Sean shoots a documentary on escalating tensions in Ukraine last November, shot with President Vladimir Zelensky last week
Action: Sean travels to Ukraine in November to make the documentary before flying to Kyiv last week to document the invasion
Penn flew to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, last week, and was seen sitting in front and in the center of a government press briefing just hours after the invasion, posing for VICE for a documentary about the war, which Putin considers a “special military operation. ‘
The documentary is a production of VICE Studios, “in collaboration with VICE World News and Endeavor Content,” according to a spokesman for the media group.
In a translated Facebook post, the Ukrainian government said it was grateful that Sean was there and praised him as braver than Western leaders.
Honestly: This comes after Sean called President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine a “brutal mistake” on Twitter over the weekend
“Oscar-winning American actor and director Sean Penn has arrived in Ukraine,” the statement said.
“The director came to Kyiv specifically to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country.
“Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such an act of courage and honesty.
“This morning the director visited the president’s office and visited the press briefing of the adviser to the head of the head of state’s office Mikhail Podoliak and the deputy prime minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Irina Vere Pike.
He added: “Ukraine is the tip of the iceberg of the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow him to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.
On deck: Penn flew to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, last week and was seen sitting in front and in the center of a government press briefing just hours after the invasion
In action: The documentary – which has been running for months and focuses on growing tensions in the region – is a production of VICE Studios
“He talked to journalists, to our military, saw how we defend our country.
“Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others lack, especially Western politicians.”
He then met with President Vladimir Zelenski, who posted a video of their meeting on his Instagram account.
Their conversation was muffled, but Zelensky himself, a former comedian and actor, wrote in a caption: “The more people know about the war in Ukraine, the more likely it is that Russia will stop!”
Ukraine’s president has accused Russia of war crimes after Vladimir Putin’s forces launched attacks that were thought to be cluster and vacuum bombs in a bid to reverse the course of the conflict they have been losing so far.
Doing their best: Their conversation was muffled, but Zelensky himself, a former comedian and actor, wrote: “The more people know about the war in Ukraine.”
In a late-night address to Russia, Vladimir said there would “definitely be an international tribunal” for “violating all conventions”, as he said, adding that “no one in the world will forgive you for killing a peaceful the Ukrainian people. ” Hague prosecutors say they intend to launch an investigation “as soon as possible”.
Zelensky speaks after an attack that looked like a cluster bomb on the city of Kharkov on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more, and after Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States accused Putin’s forces of using a banned thermobaric bomb against the capital Kyiv at night.
The bombing of Kharkiv continued on Tuesday morning with a rocket landing right in front of the building of the civil public administration, destroying the road outside and blowing up the windows of the building itself.
Footage from the inside shows that the building is badly damaged, with collapsed ceilings and scattered rubble.
Sean, meanwhile, remains silent about the state of his relationship with Leila after she filed for divorce in October.
He and the 29-year-old Australian actress – who is only months younger than his eldest daughter Dylan Penn – met in 2015 on the set of The Last Face and continued dating for five years before the wedding at a private ceremony at their home. in July 2020
However, the union was short-lived and reportedly problematic even before they married, and she filed for divorce late last year.
The couple appears to have reunited during the New Year celebrations, and they have been spotted together several times in recent months.
The Licorice Pizza actor was previously married to Robin Wright and Madonna before his last wedding.
Experience: Penn before filming his philanthropic efforts in Haiti for a documentary called Citizen Penn shook the nation after a devastating earthquake; seen in 2021