Ukraine’s Zelenskyy taps celebrities for roles as special adviser and charity ambassador

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed former Ukrainian soccer great Andriy Shevchenko as a special adviser and British actor Mark Strong as an ambassador to the charity the Ukrainian president set up to raise money for Ukraine. It was not clear what Shevchenko’s duties as adviser to the president would entail but the former star striker for Ukraine and squads across Europe suggested it would expand on his work as ambassador of United24, a charity Zelenskyy created after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Strong, who starred in the “Kingsman” movies and “Deep State” TV show, was appointed as an ambassador of United24.