Pasha Lee, a Ukrainian actor who did dubbing work on movies such as The Hobbit and The Lion King, was reportedly killed by Russian forces in Irpin on Sunday, BBC News has reported.
The tragedy was reported by Sergiy Tomilenko, President of Ukraine's National Union of Journalists, according to News.com.au.
The 33-year-old is believed to have joined the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine last week following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He died during shelling by Russia in Irpin, northwest of Kyiv.
A post reporting the actor's death was also shared by the Odesa International Film Festival on Facebook, which read: "On March 6, as a result of shelling by Russian occupiers in the Ukrainian city of Irpin, the famous Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee was killed. He was 33 years old.
"The artist joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to protect the country from Russian occupiers."
In his final Instagram post on Saturday, Lee shared a photo of himself in his military uniform.
In the caption, he wrote (translated): "For the last 48 hours there is an opportunity to sit down and take a picture of how we are being bombed, and we are smiling because we will manage and everything will be UKRAINE, WE ARE WORKING!"
Lee was known for his roles in the 2019 comedy Meeting Of Classmates, the 2017 sports action film The Fight Rules, the 2016 action comedy Selfie Party and the 2012 drama Zvychayna Sprava.
He was also a presenter on the DOM television network and had performed dubbing work in hit movies like The Lion King and The Hobbit, according to a Facebook post by Tomilenko.
One of Lee's most recent roles was in the 2021 TV drama Provincial.
As reported by the New York Times, Russian forces advancing on Kyiv fired shells at a bridge crossing the Irpin river over the weekend. The bridge was an evacuation route for civilians fleeing Irpin, and the shelling left at least four people dead.
At least 406 Ukrainian civilians have been confirmed dead since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans for a "special military operation" in Ukraine, the United Nations has confirmed.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating conflict.
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