Hayden Panettiere is sharing a message about the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The Nashville alum, who shares her daughter Kaya with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, her former partner, took to Instagram on Feb. 25 to post a message about the dire situation.
“I have personally witnessed the strength of the Ukrainian people who fought so hard for their independence and have continued to passionately defend their country over the years. What Putin is doing is an absolute disgrace,” Panettiere wrote. “This horrific moment in history sends a terrifying message: the message that in this day and age, in year 2022, it’s okay to violate the rights of free people and allow autocrats like Putin to take whatever they please.”
Panettiere’s daughter lived with Klitschko in Ukraine, and the Scream 4 star previously spent much time in the country when visiting Kaya. She shared that she is “praying for my friends and family and everyone who’s fighting,” adding, “I wish I was there fighting with you!”
“For now, I ask for those of us who can’t be there to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and show your support for #democracy,” she wrote, adding that those seeking updates should follow Klitschko as well as his brother Vitali, also a former fighter and now the mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Klitschko penned an Instagram message of his own on Feb. 25 and encouraged people to stand up for democracy.
“I call upon all citizens to organize demonstrations and raise their voices against war, for democracy and for freedom,” he wrote. “I ask the people of the European democracies to stand side by side with the free, democracy-loving Ukrainian people. The cowardly and murderous attack by the autocratic Russian regime on us must be stopped immediately.”
Panettiere previously confirmed that the pair’s daughter is not in Ukraine at the moment, responding to an Instagrammer commenter that Kaya is “safe.”
