Although she has lived in Los Angeles since she was seven years old, Mila Kunis still feels her roots in Ukraine as she and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, have raised $37 million for refugees in her home country from a campaign set on GoFundMe. Set as one of the People of the Year from People magazine, she talked about the war and how she tried to aid her people.
Mila Kunis feels her roots as she was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, before moving to the United States as a child. She saw oppression and other systemic issues growing up in the country, and things since escalated since Russia attacked the country in February of this year. The start of the war was too sudden to think, so she and her husband acted quickly to try to help in any way they could, including her contributing $3 million.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher raised $37 million to help Ukraine refugees
The GoFundMe is just over $37 million, $7 million more than the $30 million goal. Top donations include the stars’ $3 million donation, a $5 million donation, and multiple $2.5 million donations. It is still open for people wanting to donate.
The experiences of growing up in Ukraine and the events of the current war got Mila Kunis and her husband to raise their children — their daughter Wyatt and son Dimitri — knowing about the war. While they keep imagery away from them, they let them know the broad details about the war and the deaths of innocent people for them to understand what is happening in the world and “understand the world is bigger than they are.”
Although the Family Guy star sees herself as “very American,” she tries to maintain her heritage in the household. Her children hear her speak Russian to her parents, and they eat food that she grew up eating. Through this, her daughter and son have “naturally found pride in being half Ukrainian.”
