UNITED24 ambassador Mark Hamill met online with the Ukrainian military: "I am a pretend warrior in the movies. But you are the real heroes of a real war"

American actor Mark Hamill, known for his role as the Jedi, Luke Skywalker, held an online meeting with Ukraine's defenders. The UNITED24 ambassador listened to their stories, discussed their need for UAVs -- including RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones, for which he is raising funds, and said he'd love to visit to Ukraine after the war.

KYIV, Ukraine and MALIBU, Calif., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Video and Image (credit: UNITED24 fundraising platform) 

"So first of all I have to tell you how humbled I am to meet you all. I am a pretend warrior in the movies. But you are the real heroes of a real war. We look forward to your victory sooner rather than later, but we are with you as long as it takes. Even if I am talking about something else when I go out to promote this movie or that, I always make sure I mention this and ever mention the fact that I'm working, in any way I can, to help the Ukrainian goal of winning the war. We are winning. Don't doubt that for a second.Everybody said that Ukraine would fold in four days. Remember that? And then you showed the world; 'Don't mess with Ukraine'," Hamill told the military.

Hamill continues to raise funds for RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones; the actor has already raised over $705,000. During the call, the Ukrainian defenders expressed their gratitude to Mark for his help, stressing that reconnaissance drones help save both  military and civilian lives. The meeting was attended by representatives of the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Ivan Sirko, 45th Separate Artillery Brigade, 98th Aerial Reconnaissance Battalion, 47th Brigade Magura, 21st Separate Battalion Sarmat, 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, Omega Special Forces, 120th Reconnaissance Battalion and 93rd Brigade Kholodny Yar.

"My first drone, DJI Mavic. The first video I shot on it was my honeymoon with my wife on Sri Lanka Island. The last video I shot on it was russian columns invading my city of Irpin. But this last video actually changed a lot in the fight, because we saw how many of them were going at us. We prepared everything that we had, and they didn't have this drone.They didn't know there were just 30 people in position.There were about 26 armored vehicles from their side, and about 200 of infantry. And they stopped after the first burned vehicle as they didn't know how many of us were there. If they had known, they'd have probably pushed further, but they didn't. I would like to say thank you.

With your help, we will get more and more advanced drones," said a member of the military with the call sign 'Romashka' (Daisy).

There were a lot of Star Wars saga fans among defenders present at the meeting. Hamill noted that his character did not have any special skills; he was just a farmer, but, following the call of his heart, he did the right thing not for himself, but for people. Therefore, in Mark's opinion, it is not so difficult to see parallels between Ukrainians as rebels and Russia as an evil empire.

"I'd love to visit Ukraine when the war is over, when you're back to normal, when you're happy again," the actor admitted. In conclusion, he wished all the defenders: "May the Force be with each and every one of you."

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2053850/UNITED24.mp4
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2053845/UNITED24.jpg