Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee, who has appeared in both films and TV in the country, was reportedly killed on Sunday in an attack on Russian forces in Irpin.
Lee, also credited as Pavlo Lee and Pasha Lee, joined the regional defense forces of Ukraine's armed forces last week as Russia's offensive intensified. The 33-year-old actor was found murdered on Sunday, according to Deadline via local Ukrainian news sources. He most recently appeared in the 2021 TV drama Provincial, the 2019 comedy Meeting of Classmates, and also provided Ukrainian dubbing for films such as The Lion King and The Hobbit.
He shared his last social media post on Instagram on Sunday. He wrote in the post, "Have a chance to sit down and take a picture of how we are being bombed for the past 48 hours, and we are smiling as we will manage and uken everything we are working on!!!" , according to the rough translation.
As the New York Times reported, Russian forces advancing on Kyiv fired mortar shells on a bridge crossing the Irpin River on Sunday. The same bridge was an evacuation route for civilians fleeing Irpin, and shelling scattered civilians and killed at least four people. According to the United Nations, at least 406 Ukrainian civilians have been confirmed dead since February 24, 2022.
The United Nations said the actual figure was expected to be much higher. An estimated 1.7 million Ukrainians have so far fled the country following the invasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has been widely condemned by the international community.