Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee, who was fighting Russian forces after joining his country’s Territorial Defense Force last month, has been killed in action. He was 33. According to reports, Lee died on the battlefield due to Russian shelling in Irpin on March 6, with the news of his demise being confirmed by the President of Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists, Sergiy Tomilenko, as well as the Odessa International Film Festival. Lee, who is also known by his names Pavlo Li and Pasha Li, had died fighting Russian forces in the town northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which has been witnessing heavy fighting and gunfire.
Lee’s acting credits include the 2016 action-comedy Selfie Party, followed by the action sports-drama The Fight Rules, and the comedy film, Meeting of Classmates, in 2019. Reports state he also dubbed for the Ukrainian versions of Hollywood blockbusters like The Hobbit and The Lion King, including appearing as a host on the local DOM TV channel. After joining the Ukrainian armed forces, Lee posted several updates on social media, including one a day before his death. He wrote on Instagram, "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 !!!"
The news of Pasha Lee's death has come as a massive shock to his industry co-artists and fans, who have been expressing their grief and paying their tributes on social media. Ukrainian actress Anastasiya Kasilova, who appeared alongside Lee on the TV show Provincial, shared an emotional post on Facebook saying Lee "is an actor, TV presenter, my colleague and a good acquaintance… Never forgive!"
