Mila Kunis Parents: Why Did They Leave Ukraine, Move to America?

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, more than 400 civilians have been killed, more than 800 were injured, and 1.7 million Ukrainians fled the country, per the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The crisis in the Eastern European country has prompted various charity drives by influential personalities and organizations to help displaced individuals and families survive.

Celebrity couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are among the generous hearts involved in such endeavors.

Mila Kunis is a proud Ukrainian, born in Chernivtsi City in Southwestern Ukraine. In 1991, when she was seven years old, her Jewish family fled Ukraine, right before the fall of the Soviet republic, per Fox News.

In Ukraine, her father Mark worked as a mechanical engineer, and her mother Elvira taught physics.

A Family of Survivors

The Hollywood actress shared that her whole family survived the Holocaust, but "not many" of her ancestors survived.

During the period after the Holocaust, people in Russia were not permitted to be religious. She shared that there were anti-Semitic signs in her school back then. But Mila's parents raised her to be aware that she was Jewish, giving her a strong sense of identity.

She recalled a childhood incident wherein a friend of hers in second grade came home crying one day. When asked by her mother, her friend said that she noticed a swastika on the back of her seat. The incident made her realize that the country "obviously" does not want people like her.

Eventually, due to the harsh conditions, her family of seven migrated to the United States with suitcases and a budget of only $250. But her parents had endured everything to provide Mila and her brother a better life, per Mirror.

For years, her parents worked full-time and went to college simultaneously. "They would go to night school to learn English," she said. Her mother, a former teacher, worked as a box lady at Thrifty in Culver City, while her dad took multiple jobs as a house painter, delivery guy of pizzas and toilets, and as a cab driver.

"Whatever he could do, he did," the Black Swan actress said.

Eventually, her dad got to own cabs, and her mom was promoted to manager of a Rite-Aid. At that time, they bought a car and a condominium. Kunis said, "My parents did a beautiful job of not making me feel like I was lesser than any other kids."

The couple recently has pledged to match up to $3 million in donations to help Ukrainian refugees receive immediate humanitarian relief amid the ongoing war, according to Sky News.

In an Instagram video posted by her husband, Kunis said she has always considered herself American, and she loves everything that the country has done for her family, though she has "never been more proud to be a Ukrainian" amid the attacks by the Russian forces.

"But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian," Kunis said towards the end of her message in the video.