Angelina Jolie shares new photos from Ukraine: underground schools in Kharkiv, children's training, and families who waited four years for their loved ones to return from captivity

Angelina Jolie posted a series of new photos and a story from her trip to Ukraine, which took place at the end of August — early September 2026. The actress, who had previously been spotted in Lviv, Ternopil, Krementchuk, Poltava, and Kharkiv, shared her impressions from meetings with local initiatives in Kharkiv and the Carpathians. According to her, Kharkiv, located near the Russian border, comes under attack almost every day, which is why some classrooms have been set up directly on metro stations, and some schools operate entirely underground — toddlers, Jolie said, are learning to read three floors below the surface.

Underground schools and sports amid constant air-raid alerts

One of the key locations on the trip was the North Saltovka district of Kharkiv, which was hit especially hard by Russian strikes. There, Jolie met young athletes from Caramel Studio, who continue to train in an underground facility even during air-raid alerts; the sessions are led by coach Tatyana Ermashkevich. The actress emphasized that the children maintain their usual rhythm of life and activities despite the constant threat of shelling.

Creative work for children with special needs

Another stop on the visit was the Aza Nizi Maza art studio, founded by artist Nikolai Koloymets. After the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the studio was also moved underground to protect the children from shelling. Jolie explained that children with special needs engage in creative activities there, and highlighted the resilience of the local teams, who continue their work under extremely difficult conditions.

The Carpathians: support for families who waited for their loved ones from captivity

In the Carpathians, the actress visited the Gen.Camp Family program, which helps servicemen who spent years in Russian captivity reconnect with their families. Jolie spoke with women who had been raising their children on their own while simultaneously fighting for the release of their men; according to her, some families waited for their loved ones to return for four years. During the visit, the actress's son Knox led a muay-thai session for the children.

Remembrance and a call to support local organizations

Jolie also paid tribute to the memory of Alexey Yukov — the founder of the search organization "Platzdarm," which worked to locate, identify, and return the bodies of fallen servicemen to their families. According to the actress, Yukov was killed while carrying out this work on the front line in August. Closing her post, she urged followers to pay attention to the work of Gen.Ukrainian, Caramel Studio, Aza Nizi Maza, and "Platzdarm," emphasizing: "These local organizations, with limited resources, have found ways to keep working under impossible circumstances."

Timeline of the actress's visits to Ukraine

This latest trip marked Angelina Jolie's third visit to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. For the first time after February 24, 2022, she arrived in Lviv on April 30 of that year, where she visited the railway station, spoke with displaced persons and passengers on an evacuation train, and also visited children affected by the strike on the Kramatorsk station. On her second visit, in November 2025, the actress was in Kherson and Odesa Oblast, met with residents, medical workers, and volunteers, and visited underground schools and hospitals. The current 2026 trip, according to her own posts, has already covered several regions, including Kharkiv and the Carpathians.