Ix Shen returns to Ukraine to help with humanitarian aid
Singaporean Ix Shen said that he now resides in a safe place in Ukraine.
PHOTO: Instagram/Ix Shen
PUBLISHED ONApril 10, 2022 12:34 PMByKolette Lim
SINGAPORE - Former Singaporean actor Ix Shen has returned to Ukraine to help with humanitarian aid as part of a volunteer group.
The 50-year-old previously left his home in Ukraine for Poland last month after Russia invaded the country. He had been living in the capital city of Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife for four months.
The couple fled Kyiv as the Russian attacks intensified, and Mr Shen posted on Instagram after reaching Poland to reassure his followers that he was safe.
In an Instagram video posted on Friday (April 8), he said that he now resides in a safe place in Ukraine but did not reveal his exact location because of security reasons.
"(The volunteers) stock up the supplies into the vehicle, we drive across the border and we distribute them in different centres," he added.
One of the centres is located in Bucha, said Mr Shen.
Footage and images of dead bodies, some in mass graves, in Bucha have led to allegations against Russian troops for killing civilians.
Ukrainian officials said that nearly 300 bodies were found in Bucha, a town near Kyiv, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, AFP reported.
The images have sparked accusations of war crimes, and have led to governments pushing for the European Union to impose more sanctions on Russia.
Russia has denied the allegations, calling them a "monstrous forgery".
Mr Shen said: "This issue right now is being contested by different parties. Since I'm not an expert in putrefaction, I'm not qualified to comment."
Noting that he would not share any photographs of war victims, he said: "But I believe truth always prevails, because the same thing happened to us before."
The former actor was drawing parallels between the alleged war crimes in Bucha and the Sook Ching massacre in Singapore in 1942, when civilians who were suspected to be anti-Japanese were killed during the Japanese Occupation.
He said: "Eighty years ago, also in the month of March, we had innocent civilians being slaughtered and back then, we didn't have forensic science.
"Our forefathers paid such (a) heavy price and gave us such precious lessons. How can we not unturn our backs towards injustice?"
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
