Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively pledge to match donations to help Ukrainian refugees

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have pledged to match up to $1 million (£746,000) in donations to help displaced Ukrainians following Russia’s invasion.

The Hollywood couple has partnered with the nonprofit organisation USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to encourage people to donate to help those fleeing the conflict.

“In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. They need protection. @usaforunhcr is providing it. When you donate, we’ll match it up to $1,000,000, creating DOUBLE the support,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram over the weekend alongside a photo of a young child being placed on a bus.

Sharing the same image on her Instagram account, the former Gossip Girl star wrote, “@vancityreynolds and I are doubling every dollar donated to @usaforunhcr up to $1,000,000… @usaforunhcr is on the ground helping the 50,000+ Ukrainians who had to flee their homes in less than 48 hours. @usaforunhcr is providing life saving aid, and also working with neighboring countries to ensure protection for these families.”

The Deadpool star and A Simple Favor actress are well-known for their generous charitable efforts. They donated money to four New York hospitals at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and gave $1 million to food banks across North America in early 2021.

According to the UN Refugee Agency on Monday, more than 500,000 refugees have fled from Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia launched a full-scale attack on the country last week.