'Baywatch' actress with Ukrainian roots, Erika Eleniak, 'sickened' by Russia's attack: 'Diabolical behavior'
Eleniak's great-grandfather was one of the first pioneer Ukranian immigrants to settle in Canada
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actress Erika Eleniak, who is Ukranian, says she is shocked and "sickened" by the war unfolding overseas as Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine overnight.
"I am stunned. I am sad and I am sickened by the attack on Ukraine and the Ukranian people," the former "Baywatch" star told Fox News Digital in a statement early Thursday.
Eleniak's paternal great-grandfather was one of the first pioneer Ukranian immigrants to settle in Canada. She says "proud" of her Ukranian heritage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I am very proud of my Ukrainian heritage and what my Great Grandfather, Wasyl Eleniak accomplished to make life better for the Ukrainian people," Eleniak continued.
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Erika Eleniak told Fox News Digital she is "very proud" of her Ukrainian heritage. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
"I have no words for the level of diabolical behavior that is being committed but I am praying that the world will rise up in support of the Ukrainian people and for ALL the people who are affected by this attack," the star, who made her first big break appearing in "E.T." as a child actress, concluded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the decision to rupture ties with Moscow on Thursday after it launched a massive air and missile attack on its neighbor and Russian forces were seen rolling into Ukraine.
Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to President Zelenskyy said Thursday that several dozen people have been wounded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Traffic jams are seen as people leave the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to "consequences you have never seen." (Emilio Morenatti)
He didn’t specify whether the casualties included civilians.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian authorities will hand weapons to all those willing to defend the country.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pictured: (l-r) Billy Warlock as Eddie Kramer, Erika Eleniak as Shauni McClain, Parker Stevenson as Craig Pomeroy, David Hasselhoff as Lt. Mitch Buchannon, Shawn Weatherly as Jill Riley. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank)
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"The future of the Ukrainian people depends on every Ukrainian," he said, urging all those who can defend the country to come to the Interior Ministry’s assembly facilities.
U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle late Wednesday condemned Russia's "unprovoked" attack of Ukraine after news broke that Vladimir Putin had declared a "special military operation" in Ukraine and explosions could be heard in the capital city of Kyiv and other parts of the country.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces," President Biden said in a White House statement. "President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that an "attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy." She said she "applauded" Biden for his "forceful leadership in imposing the first tranche of swift & severe sanctions to counter Russian aggression. The U.S. & our allies stand together in our unwavering support of the Ukrainian people."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Thursday that the military alliance would defend every inch of its territory should Russia attack a member country, as he slammed Moscow for launching a brutal act of war on Ukraine.
Speaking after chairing an emergency meeting of NATO envoys, Stoltenberg said the 30-nation security alliance will continue to beef up its defenses on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia. He said U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will hold an online summit on Friday.
Damaged radar arrays and other equipment is seen at Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia has launched a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukraine early Thursday and Ukrainian officials said that Russian troops have rolled into the country from the north, east and south. (AP Sergei Grits)
"Russia has attacked Ukraine. This is a brutal act of war. Our thoughts are with the brave people of Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters. "Peace in our continent has been shattered. We now have war in Europe, on a scale and of a type we thought belong to history."
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"NATO is the strongest alliance in history, and make no mistake we will defend every ally against any attack on every inch of NATO territory," he said at the organization's Brussels headquarters. "An attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance."
Fox News' Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.