Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee was killed on Sunday, March 6 in Irpin, Ukraine, while fighting Russian military forces as they invaded his homeland. He was 33. 

The Odesa International Film Festival confirmed the actor’s death through an Instagram post on March 6 writing that Lee was killed as a “result of shelling by Russian occupiers in the Ukrainian city of Irpin.” 

The film festival revealed that Lee had joined the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine last week “to protect the country from Russian occupiers” during the ongoing invasion. OIFF urged the world community to support Ukraine against Russia, and end the conflict by joining the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky‘s call for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over the Eastern European country to counter Russian military aircrafts.

Following the news of Lee’s death, Ukrainian actress Anastasiya Kasilova—who starred alongside the actor in the 2021 TV drama Provincial—took to Facebook to mourn her co-star’s death.