Actor Sean Penn joins Ukraine exodus to Poland on foot

Days after visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to film scenes for his documentary on Russia's invasion, Hollywood actor-director Sean Penn found himself among thousands of refugees fleeing to Poland, joining the exodus on foot.

Penn, 61, posted a photo to his Twitter feed on Monday showing the movie star wearing a backpack and toting a piece of luggage on wheels as he trudged along the shoulder of a road beside a line of cars stretching into the distance.

"Myself & two colleagues walked miles to the Polish border after abandoning our car on the side of the road," Penn said in a caption tweeted with the picture. 

"Almost all the cars in this photo carry women & children only, most without any sign of luggage, and a car their only possession of value."

The tweet did not explain why the Academy Award-winning actor and his companions were forced to abandon their vehicle.

A spokesperson in Los Angeles, Mara Buxbaum, told Reuters by email on Tuesday that Penn had "made it out of Ukraine safely." 

She declined to answer other questions about his whereabouts or the circumstances of his departure from Ukraine.

Penn was in Kyiv last Thursday attending a press briefing at the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the first day of Russia's invasion, recording footage for a documentary chronicling the crisis, Zelenskiy's office said in a statement at the time.

"Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty," the statement said.

It said Penn had interviewed Ukrainian political and military figures as well as journalists as part of the production, for which he initially visited Ukraine in November.

Penn is producing the Ukraine documentary for Vice Studios, a US-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company, according to Hollywood trade publication Variety. - Reuters