The ongoing conflict in Ukraine was on everyone's minds at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday.
Apart from dressing up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, the attendees at the Dolby Theatre observed a moment of silence in support of the war-torn country.
The moment followed a performance by Reba McEntire of nominated original song 'Somehow You Do' from 'Four Good Days', which was introduced by one of the film's stars, Mila Kunis -- who was born in Ukraine.
Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher have raised over USD 35 million for refugee relief in a GoFundMe campaign, USD 3 million of which they donated themselves.
Instead of a presenter, the telecast went to a screen with a written message, Deadline reported.
"We'd like to have a moment of silence to show our support for the people of Ukraine currently facing invasion, conflict and prejudice within their own borders. While film is an important avenue for us to express our humanity in times of conflict, the reality is millions of families in Ukraine need food, medical care, clean water, and emergency services. Resources are scarce, and we -- collectively as a global community -- can do more," the message read.
There had been speculation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would address the ceremony or appear at the Oscars in some capacity.
For the unversed, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last month on February 24 after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics."
Russia has since continued to maintain that the aim of its operations has been to "demilitarize" and "de-nazify" the country.
The conflict, which has now entered its second month, has caused a severe humanitarian crisis with millions of refugees fleeing to neighbouring Western countries, including Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary.
The Russian actions have been condemned by almost all the western countries, who rolled out severe sets of sanctions targetting the Russian economy, and key individuals.
( With inputs from ANI )
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