Sean Penn is filming a documentary in Ukraine as Russia began invasion

Sean Penn has already been in Ukraine filming a Vice documentary about the conflict with Russia and that conflict escalated on Wednesday as Russia began a full-scale invasion of the country

Penn met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky this week and, according to the Daily Mail, Penn also attended a government press briefing as the country began to rally itself against the attack. Zelensky had previously posted a video on Instagram with the actor that had a caption that read, “The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher likelihood of stopping Russia.” The Office of the President also released a statement on Facebook on Thursday that spoke of Penn’s presence in Ukraine and praised his work. Here is part of what the translated statement said:

“The director specially came to Kyiv 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 a show of courage and honesty.”

Per The Daily Mail, Penn flew into the capital city of Kyiv earlier this week and he previously traveled to Ukraine in November. At that time, he met with military forces near the front lines with Russia-back separatists in Donetsk, one of the two regions Russian president Vladimir Putin recognized as independent last week, saying he was sending in a peacekeeping force to protect them.

Overnight, Russia launched a full-scale attack on the northern, eastern, and southern borders of Ukraine, and they have taken over the main airport in Kyiv after launching missile strikes. Penn is no stranger to entering conflict and disaster zones. Penn’s efforts in Haiti following the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated the country in 2010 were at the center of the 2020 Discovery+ documentary Citizen Penn. The actor also traveled to New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina to aid in search and rescue efforts. Penn also has a nonprofit called Community Organized Relief Effort, or CORE, which was founded in response to the earthquake in Haiti. They also assisted with the COVID-19 response in the United States.