Regina Spektor, Vera Farmiga, more Russian and Ukrainian stars react to attacks: 'My heart hurts'

Stars of Russian and Ukrainian descent are speaking out against the growing crisis in Ukraine, amid Russian president Vladimir Putin's overnight military invasion on its neighboring Eastern European country — which President Joe Biden criticized as an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" in an attempt to rally "international condemnation."

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Regina Spektor reflected on her Russian and Ukrainian heritage Thursday in an emotional Instagram post, comparing Putin's tactics to those of the Nazis during World War II.

"Today my heart hurts because no matter how many great works of art and music (Guernica…. Masters Of War… Most of Okudzhava and Vysotsky… Vonnegut… Remarque… all those films in all those languages…) portray the horrors of war, new Masters of War seem to rise up again in all the nations… Sending new children to slaughter each other," wrote the 42-year-old, who was born in Moscow before her family left the former Soviet Union for New York City in 1989. "There were, and still are, real Nazis in the world. But in Ukraine that are just millions of civilians being pulled into a war, and in Russia there are children being sent to fight and die for no reason other than the bottomless and horror filled 'more more more more more more more' of politicians and corporations. And it's terrifying."

Vera Farmiga, Oscar-nominated Up in the Air and Conjuring franchise actress born to Ukrainian parents, shared an image of the country's flag with a few verses from the nation's national anthem underneath. She also wrote "#IStandWithUkraine" under the post.

Former Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy — a native Ukrainian currently serving as a judge on the country's version of World of Dance — uploaded a video he took from inside the capital city of Kyiv amid the invasion, which he called a "stressful" period of uncertainty.

"I will never be the same. This is stressful and I'm getting old feelings back, like I've done this before. This does feel like the way it was when and why we left in the 90s. Like my old PTSD I've finally fixed is coming back," he wrote. "I literally only just forgot about those 'always on the edge' feelings and actually started worrying about things like bbq grills. I'm crying as I'm typing this because all man deserves to worry about 'bbq grills' and not f---ing war. Hug your loved ones."

Appearing in a video with her family, singer Jamala — who won the 2016 Eurovision song contest on behalf of Ukraine — also voiced support for the embattled country.

We don't want war! We are for peace!" she wrote. "Please support Ukraine."

While she was born in Canada, Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick posted photos of her Ukrainian ancestors to her Instagram stories, in which she also professed that she is "a proud Ukrainian" while urging people to "stand by Ukraine" during Putin's attack.

Joining the opposition to Putin's tactics, 28-year-old Ukrainian model Alexandra Kutas shared a video from a London-based protest opposing the Russian invasion.

"We are standing up! London for Ukraine!" wrote the fashion industry figure, who broke barriers for people with disabilities by participating in runway shows and advertising campaigns in her wheelchair.

According to The New York Times, Putin's advance into Ukraine came after days of uncertainty surrounding the leader's intentions after he assembled masses of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. Artillery strikes on airports and military installations across Ukraine began Wednesday, with Russian forces also approaching the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv through Thursday.

The publication summarized that "while the ultimate goal of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and his generals remained unclear, American officials assessed that the end game was likely the decapitation of Ukraine's government and the replacement of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with a Russian-controlled puppet regime."

Read all of the Russian and Ukrainian celebrity responses to the conflict above.

Hear more on all of today's must-see picks in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.

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