The English actor and Hollywood star Orlando Bloom has visited children in war-torn Ukraine and met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The footage shows part of the discussion between Volodymyr Zelensky and Bloom, with Bloom saying it was “an honour” to meet him before he can be seen talking about his time in Ukraine meeting young children displaced by Russia’s invasion.

Travelling to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv by train, the 46-year-old star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador visited a child support centre and spent some time with Ukrainian children.

Bloom, who is known among other things for playing Legolas in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, said on Instagram, where he has over 6.7 million followers, on Saturday, 25th March: “I arrived in Ukraine today for my first trip back since 2016. I would have never expected the war to have escalated throughout the country since I was there.

“But today I was fortunate to hear children’s laughter at a UNICEF supported Spilno center, a safe, warm and nurturing space for children to play, learn and receive psychosocial support.

“Spilno means ‘together’ in Ukrainian and there are over 180 of these centers here. The one I visited today was built deep down in the metro to ensure their safety.

“For a few hours every day, parents can drop off their young children and give them a sense of normalcy to play games and just be kids.

“There was also lots of art supplies and craft materials, which allows them to creatively express themselves, away from the pressures of growing up in a war zone. Children in Ukraine need their childhoods back.”

In another post, the Pirates of the Caribbean star said on Sunday, 26th March: “Today I met Natalia and Yurii who welcomed me into their home in Demydiv. They have five children between 8 and 27. They also took in four siblings between the ages of 4 to 8 three years ago. Yes, that’s nine children!!

“As the war continues, and children become orphans as a result, Ukraine will need more parents to follow in the footsteps of Natalia and Yurii and take these children into loving homes. They are super humans.

“They told me that this war has taught them one thing…that family matters most. When they had to flee their home after the war escalated last year, they took very little as they said they don’t need anything except their children.

“UNICEF is working to end the use of residential care institutions and instead strengthen support for families so that every Ukrainian child is part of a warm, nurturing, devoted family like Natalia’s and Yulia’s.”

Newsflash obtained a statement from UNICEF on 26th March saying: “Bloom calls for urgent support as estimated 1.5 million children at risk of mental health issues including depression and anxiety, and 5 million children have their education disrupted.”

The statement also said: “UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom travelled to Ukraine this week to meet children and families affected by the war.

“During his 3-day visit to Kyiv, Irpin and Demydiv, Bloom witnessed how the war in Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on children’s lives, more than one year since the escalation in February 2022. UNICEF estimates that 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, with long-term implications for their physical and mental health.”

Bloom is quoted as saying: “When I first came to Ukraine in 2016, I saw the catastrophic consequences that war has on children and families, and how basic needs such as being at school and psychosocial support are critical for children’s wellbeing.”

He added: “Now, with children across the entire country affected, that support is more vital than ever.”

The statement also said: “During the past 13 months, thousands of schools have reportedly been severely damaged or destroyed by bombing and shelling, leaving almost 2.7 million Ukrainian children accessing learning online or through the mixed modality of face-to-face and online. In refugee-hosting countries, two out of three children from Ukraine are currently not enrolled in the host country’s education systems.

“Recent UNICEF research unveils that children of pre-school age are particularly affected, as they are missing out on the opportunity to develop the critical skills they need to succeed in school. These and other topics related to child rights and child-centered recovery in Ukraine were also discussed during the meeting Bloom had with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.”

Bloom said: “Some of the children I have met – such as 10-year-old Hanna from Volnovakha, Donetsk region – have had limited access to face-to-face education for more than a year,.

He added: “While UNICEF is helping ensure that children are able to learn online, they are still missing out on the crucial experience of interacting with their classmates and teachers. Especially for younger children, these interactions are key for their emotional and cognitive development and cannot be replaced by a computer screen.”

UNICEF statement continued: “During the trip, Bloom visited Irpin, a town heavily impacted by the early days of the war. Here, he visited a school where, with UNICEF support, the basement was converted into a bomb shelter, to provide a safe space for children to continue learning when air-raid sirens may sound.

“Bloom also visited UNICEF’s ‘Spilno Child Spots’ in Irpin and Kyiv, where children – including those displaced by the war – can play and learn. Spilno Spots are also a one-stop-shop for children to receive psychosocial support, medical checks and referrals to specialised services. In 2022, over 500,000 children and their caregivers visited 180 Spilno Spots across Ukraine.”

Bloom said: “Amid the chaos and uncertainty of war, supporting children’s education is an essential tool in protecting their long-term mental health and wellbeing.”

He added: “This is especially important during their early years, when children develop the learning and emotional skills they need to reach their full potential.”

The UNICEF statement also said: “Over the past year in Ukraine, UNICEF has provided education, health, including mental health and psychosocial support, nutrition, water and sanitation, and protection assistance to children and families affected by the war. In countries hosting refugees from Ukraine, UNICEF has been working with national and local authorities, as well as civil society organizations to deliver emergency assistance and support services to families fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“As hostilities continue unabated, and needs continue to increase, UNICEF continues delivering for children inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries and requires USD 1.05 billion to meet growing needs of 9.4 million people, including 4 million children, who remain deeply impacted by the war in Ukraine.”

Bloom said: “Above all, children need an end to this war and sustained peace to regain their childhoods, return to normalcy and begin to heal and recover.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 397th day of the full-scale war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 27th March 2023, Russia had lost about 171,160 personnel, 3,595 tanks, 6,953 armoured combat vehicles, 2,638 artillery units, 523 multiple launch rocket systems, 277 air defence systems, 305 warplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,216 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,493 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 285 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

NATO has criticised Russia over its “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric after Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Ukraine has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over Moscow’s decision to place nuclear weapons in Belarus.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it represented “another provocative step” by Russia that undermined “the international security system as a whole”.

Ukraine’s Secretary of National Security, Oleksiy Danilov, said that the Kremlin was making Belarus a “nuclear hostage”.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, has warned Belarus against hosting nuclear weapons from Russia.

He said: “Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security. Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice. The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his fellow Ukrainians to remain engaged with developments to do with the war despite fighting largely being concentrated in the east of the country.

He said: “Now, just as it was a year ago, one cannot be mentally far from the war, although thanks to our soldiers, real hostilities are taking place geographically far from many.”

Zelensky also said that he had had a number of meetings with the Ukrainian intelligence and defence sectors to discuss reinforcement and “preparing respective steps”.

He also said that his country had received EUR 1.5 billion in financial assistance from the European Union and that Croatia has adopted a programme to help treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

Vitaliy Barabash, Ukraine’s head of the military administration of Avdiivka, said that Russian shelling was turning the town into a “place from post-apocalyptic movies”.

Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Hanna Maliar, has urged Ukrainians to avoid openly discussing details regarding any upcoming offensives against Russia, saying: “On live broadcasts, don’t ask experts questions [like] ‘how is the counter-offensive going?’, don’t write blogs or posts on this topic, and don’t discuss military plans of our army publicly at all.

“We have one strategic plan – to liberate all our territories. And as for the details – that’s simply a military secret.”