S'porean former actor Ix Shen reaches Poland on his birthday, heading to Warsaw

Singaporean Ix Shen reassured his followers that he was safe in Poland in an update on Instagram on March 11, 2022. PHOTO: IX_SHEN/ INSTAGRAM

SINGAPORE - Singaporean Ix Shen, who left his home in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Tuesday (March 8) as the war with the country's neighbour Russia continues, has reached Poland.

He is headed towards Poland's capital, Warsaw, on an overnight bus from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, and has reached the first pit stop in Poland, he said in an update on Instagram on Friday.

The border Poland shares with Ukraine is around 70km from Lviv.

Mr Shen said he drove about 550km from Kyiv to Lviv as a valet driver to deliver the car to its owner, who lives in Lviv, and posted a video in the city on Thursday.

Reassuring his followers that he was safe in Poland, he said he saw many welfare stations run by Polish volunteers providing free hot meals, drinks, clothing and toys for Ukrainians who have just crossed the border into the country.

"It's really very heartwarming," said the former actor, who turned 50 on Friday. He had lived in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife for four months.

His video shows tents set up by the road and manned by volunteers serving food and drinks to people.

According to reports, nearly 1.5 million people have crossed into Poland as Russia continues to shell cities across Ukraine.

Since the war erupted on Feb 24, more than two million people have fled Ukraine, and around 1.8 million people have been displaced, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Follow The Straits Times' live coverage on the Ukraine crisis here.

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