In two weeks, actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have exceeded their goal of raising $30 million to help Ukrainian refugees displaced by Russia’s savage war on the country. The crowdfunding effort has now raised nearly $35 million — and counting.
The married couple had previously pledged to match up to $3 million in donations toward the GoFundMe campaign (available at this link). According to the site, they donated $3 million to their own “Stand With Ukraine” fundraiser 13 days ago.
On Thursday, Kunis — who was born in Ukraine — and Kutcher posted an update on their social accounts, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support. As of this writing, more than 68,000 people and companies have donated $34.5 million.
The donations to “Stand With Ukraine” include $5 million from Larry Ellison, the co-founder and executive chairman of software giant Oracle, as well as $3.5 million from DST Global, an investment firm headed by Russian-born Israeli entrepreneur Yuri Milner.
“While this is far from a solution for the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty,” Kunis and Kutcher said in a statement posted on Instagram. “Our work is not done. We will do everything we can to ensure that the outpouring of love that came as a part of this campaign finds maximum impact with those in need.”
To date, more than 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine after Russian military forces launched the attack, and millions more have been displaced within Ukraine, according to the United Nations.
According to Kunis and Kutcher, funds have already been delivered to the two causes supporting Ukrainian refugees — Flexport.org, which has organized shipments of relief supplies to refugee sites in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, and Airbnb.org, which is providing free, short-term housing to refugees.
“As funding continues to come in we will treat every dollar as if it were being donated from our pocket, with respect and honor for the work that went into earning it, the intent of love through which it was given, and the desire for it so be maximized for positive outcomes for others,” Kunis and Kutcher wrote.
