Angelina Jolie’s Driver Drafted into the Ukrainian Army Amid Front‑Line Visit

Hollywood actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie’s recent humanitarian trip to Ukraine took an unexpected turn when a member of her entourage was seized by military recruiters. While Jolie was traveling through the war‑torn south to draw attention to the relentless Russian drone strikes that have been targeting civilians, her driver – a Ukrainian citizen and reserve officer – was stopped at a checkpoint in the Mykolaiv region and handed over to the local conscription office for immediate drafting.According to Ukrainian media reports, the driver, born in 1992, could not produce the paperwork required for a deferment from mobilization. As a reservist without a valid exemption, he was ordered to report for military retraining, effectively placing him under the country’s current mobilization order. The regional recruitment office confirmed the incident, noting that the driver had been summoned for “military retraining,” though it was unclear whether he would be sent to a training centre right away or asked to appear at a later date.The Ukrainian army initially issued a brief statement acknowledging the draft, but the post was later removed, and officials have declined to comment further, describing the circulating reports as “distorted” and saying an investigation is underway. Jolie’s representatives have not responded to requests for comment.Despite the drama, Jolie continued her itinerary, meeting children in Kherson and other frontline towns that have suffered daily bombardments and drone attacks. Her visit, organized in partnership with the Legacy of War Foundation, was intended to highlight the humanitarian toll of the conflict and to rally international support for the civilians caught in the crossfire.The incident has inadvertently shone a light on Ukraine’s ongoing personnel challenges. Military analysts say the forced drafting of a driver attached to a high‑profile foreign delegation underscores the severe manpower shortages the Ukrainian armed forces face as the war drags on. Conscription officers have been increasingly active in the south, where Russian aerial assaults have intensified, prompting Kyiv to tighten its mobilization efforts.Jolie’s trip, therefore, not only brought global attention to the plight of Ukrainian civilians under relentless drone fire but also revealed the strain on the country’s defence apparatus, reminding the world that the fight for Ukraine’s survival extends beyond the battlefield to the very logistics of keeping its army staffed.