“Not what I expected”: Michael Douglas shares his impressions of Kiev

Michael Douglas. Photo: Getty Images

American actor and film producer Michael Douglas, who recently visited Kyiv with his son Dylan, shared his impressions of the trip and of the Ukrainians in a video that the 79-year-old star posted on Instagram.

Source: Tabloid newspaper “Ukrainska Prawda”; Michael Douglas on Instagram

Quote from Michael Douglas: “As you know, there is a terrible war going on between Ukraine and Russia. So it is a bit difficult to reach the capital, Kyiv, at the moment. From the Polish border you have to take an eleven-hour train ride to Kyiv. We arrived in a magical city, a truly magical city. I was not expecting anything like this.”

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Michael Douglas attended the summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.

Photo: Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Douglas said he imagined Ukraine to be like East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, but what he saw was a “fantastic metropolis” with a mix of both Soviet and much older architecture.

Quote from Michael Douglas: “Great architecture, a mix of Soviet times but also much earlier periods of their history. Fabulous culture, great restaurants and a spectacular energy. All in all, very little destruction, although we did witness a children's hospital, the largest in all of Ukraine, being completely destroyed and it was abundantly clear that this was not a mistake. Some buildings are still standing but there is still a lot of work to be done. What Dylan and I took away from this was the people, an incredible spirit. When you think about what happened to Ukraine, from the Stalin regime through WWII to the struggle and maintenance of their democracy for over 30 years, it is an extraordinary place and a great reminder to us all of the importance of freedom, democracy and how you have to work for it.”

Douglas thanked First Lady Olena Zelensky for the invitation to the summit, Andrii Yermak, the head of the President's Office, “for all his hospitality and help,” and also President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Quote from Michael Douglas: “Thank you. You are the right man at the right time and I wish you every support. With our upcoming elections in this country [the US – ed.]let it be a great reminder of the fragility of democracy and how we must fight against it with everything we have. Peace to you all!”