Ukraine

Sean Penn gets choked up remembering his face-to-face meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as war erupted ... and as Russia's invasion intensifies, he's commending Zelensky's bravery.

Speaking out for the first time since leaving war-torn Ukraine, Penn told CNN's Anderson Cooper he couldn't help but praise Zelensky for all he's doing to protect his people. He said, "I don't know if he knew that he was born for this, but it was clear I was in the presence of something ... that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity and love that comes out of that man."

Penn says he met Ukraine's president before the invasion, and then again on the day it started -- amid the chaos and uncertainty, he says Zelensky showed nothing but courage ... which Penn says is also evident in all Ukrainians.

He described his escape to the Polish border as pure terror -- seeing thousands of families fleeing for their lives while the men were forced to stay behind and defend their country ... as the Russian shelling began.

Reports of civilian casualties in Ukraine are piling up, and now ... video footage appears to back up claims that Putin's Russian army is killing anybody and everybody it come across.

This clip was reportedly shot Sunday morning as Ukrainians were attempting to evacuate ordinary citizens out of the city of Iprin, just outside of Kyiv ... when, all of a sudden, they were fired upon by explosive shelling near an exit route along a bridge there.

You can see what appears to a Ukrainian soldier standing near some barricades, talking to people hiding behind a building not too far from him. You can also see some people shuffling along in the open streets behind him.

All seems calm, until seconds later ... when when what appears to be a mortar shell and/or a missile flies past him and explodes mere feet away, sending the man flying back.

Moments later, you can see a few bodies laid out in the distance with others rushing over to attend to them, calling for a medic. According to the NYT, at least 4 people were killed in this specific incident ... including civilians.

The place is being torn to shreds, and it looks like the Russians aren't letting anyone escape with ease -- especially if they're firing shell after shell toward the evacuation process ... and killing whoever may be unfortunate enough to be in their path.

Frankly, this is just a fraction of the footage that's out there showing civilians being targeted by the Russians ... so, it's clear they're not discriminating as they continue to invade.

The question that then poses is ... what is the U.S. going to do about it, if anything???

That was asked of Sec. of State Anthony Blinken by CNN's Jake Tapper this weekend -- and while Blinken acknowledged U.S. officials had, in fact, seen credible reports of civilians being wiped out such as in the instance depicted here ... all he said is they were documenting it.

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally made sure to get a dig in against Vladimir Putin during the Spirit Awards this weekend -- using not just their words ... but their digits too.

The husband and wife duo are cohosting Sunday's award show, and toward the top of the show ... they sent out a message of solidarity, sending everyone there on the ground their best wishes.

Mullaly then added, "I think we speak for everyone here when we say we are hoping for a quick and peaceful resolution. Specifically, f*** off and go home Putin."

NO followed up by saying, "We hope Putin f**** off and goes home and to that end let’s all join together with a Spirit Awards salute to Putin" -- and then threw up his middle finger to the camera ... with MM following suit.

It looks like some audience members did the same, including Kristen Stewart ... who was caught on camera doing the same when the shot cut to her in her seat.

Unfortunately, a video clip of the awesome moment doesn't seem to exist online -- IFC is carrying the broadcast, and they didn't post it as a standalone segment. Still, it's encouraging to see Hollywood has Ukraine at their forefront of their minds as awards season carries on.

Brittney Griner's wife is breaking her silence since news broke about the WNBA star being detained in Russia -- and her first message is one of gratitude.

Cherelle Griner hopped on IG Sunday to post a photo of herself with BG, adding a caption that read ... "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life."

She adds, "I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely."

As you know ... Brittney is in Russian custody at the moment, and apparently has been for a good while now -- since at least February when she was busted on suspicion of a drug charge.

She's alleged to have had vape cartridges in her bag while traveling through an airport -- and the Russian authorities even released video capturing the moment they searched her stuff.

Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz won her match Saturday night, and she dissolved into tears afterward telling fans about the heartbreak she and her family are going through in the wake of Putin's war.

Maryna's win against Mariya Agapova was awesome ... an arm-triangle choke ended the fight in the second round.

Joe Rogan talked to Maryna in the Octagon after the decision was announced, and she confessed it's been a hard week for her and her family. She says she's heartbroken over the attack on her country ... "My family is in Ukraine. I had a hard week. I worried, I cried, because my family is right now in a bad situation."

She added, "Thank you to everyone who messaged me, because this week was hard for me. I want to cry because of this war my country is in. It's a hard time for Ukraine. I want to support my country, my president, whole army in Ukraine, and I want to say we don't want war. I worry about my family right now."

It seems in this increasingly troubled world, all roads lead to Elon Musk, and that was evident again Saturday after he hopped on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky says Musk is providing more Starlink satellite internet stations to some of Ukraine's "destroyed cities."

Musk assured Zelensky terminals are on the way to Ukraine ... courtesy of SpaceX.

Zelensky said, "Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities."

And this is interesting ... Zelensky is confident about the future of Ukraine to add, "Discussed possible space projects. But I’ll talk about this after the war.”

There's been a massive number of internet outages in Ukraine, and Musk had said a few days ago he was stepping up to activate Starlink satellite internet service to the country.

The Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation had tweeted a plea to Musk a few days ago, "@elonmusk, while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand."

Bethenny Frankel has done something pretty incredible ... she's raising $25 MILLION for Ukrainian relief, and she's not done.

As we reported, Bethenny's foundation -- BStrong -- has been raising cash for badly-needed aid. She says $10 mil has been earmarked to help in the relocation of Ukrainian refugees, and the remaining $15 mil will provide food, medical aid and other necessities inside the war-torn country.

Bethenny said, "We are partnering with different apparel companies, food companies, lodging companies to be announced later, to place these people in lodging."

This isn't the first humanitarian effort in which she's been involved ... her foundation has helped with various disasters around the world since 2017.

Bethenny told us on "TMZ Live" how the foundation works and what they're doing to help innocent civilians whose lives have been turned upside down or destroyed by Putin's war.

KISS' Gene Simmons has stern words for bands still on the fence when it comes to their Russian concerts -- what are you waiting for? Cancel it!

We got Gene at Kings Road Cafe Thursday in Los Angeles ... he says bands should stick together in solidarity and take Russia off their tour schedules -- something KISS is doing.

He tells us there are more important things happening in the world that should take priority over a simple rock concert -- obviously referring to the war in Ukraine.

Gene thinks an American band that travels and puts on a show for the Russian people would be giving a thumbs up to President Vladimir Putin and his current attack.

Ever since the war began, artists have been pulling out of their Russian performances -- Imagine Dragons, Eric Clapton, Gorillaz, and Louis Tomlinson are just a few.

Brittney Griner, WNBA superstar and 2x Olympic gold medalist, was reportedly detained in Russia after customs officials say they found hashish oil in the hoopers luggage ... and she could now face 10 years in prison.

On Saturday, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced they'd detained an American basketball player back in February after finding vape cartridges in her bags while traveling through Sheremetyevo airport -- about 20 miles from Moscow.

Russian customs didn't identify the person taken into custody, but TASS, a Russian news agency, citing sources, ID'd the player as Griner, center for the Phoenix Mercury.

Customs released surveillance video on Saturday appearing to show Griner, wearing a mask, going through airport security. The clip shows what appears to be a security official removing a package from the traveler's bag.

According to a statement from Russian Customs, the traveler was flying from New York to Russia. At some point, they claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on bag. Soon after they claim they found the vapes.

The statement says Russian officials have opened up a drug trafficking investigation ... a charge that could carry a five to ten-year prison sentence, if convicted.

Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Brittney's agent, issued the following statement.

"We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA."

Colas continued ... "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern."

The WNBA also released a statement pledging their support for Griner, saying their main objective was to return her to the USA as soon as possible.

31-year-old Griner, the 1st overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, is one of the best players in the league. Brittney is a 7x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champ, 2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and a WNBA champion.

Despite her accolades, Griner and other WNBA players routinely hoop in Russia ... as women can earn significantly more money than what the WNBA pays.

Griner is no stranger to the country. She's won four championships with the Russian Euroleague team, UMMC Ekaterinburg.

It's not publicly known where, or if, Griner is being held ... as the detainment allegedly occurred in February.

It's a perilous time for an American to be held in Russia. Relations between the two countries are incredibly strained, as Vladimir Putin's military invaded and attacked Ukraine, and the west responded with harsh sanctions, dealing a significant blow to Russia's economy.

George Takei thinks Americans need to be willing to tighten their belt and shoulder bloated checkout tallies in solidarity with Ukraine -- but he's kinda catching heat for the suggestion.

The 'Star Trek' actor took to Twitter Friday with his sentiment, writing ... "Americans: We can endure higher prices for food and gas if it means putting the screws to Putin. Consider it a patriotic donation in the fight for freedom over tyranny."

Sounds innocent enough -- fact is, there is bound to be more inflation as a result of this conflict and the sanctions President Biden has imposed ... whether we like it or not.

If anything, it sounds like GT is telling folks to have a better attitude about it rather than actually proposing they act on it ... 'cause, frankly, there isn't much to do at the moment. Now, as you can imagine ... his idea is being embraced by some, but rejected by others.

The pushback ... namely, that George is a rich celebrity, and he comes off a bit tone-deaf here telling ordinary people to chip in for a good cause -- at least in his critics' eyes. Essentially, it's sounding like an elitist POV (to them) ... and talking down to "little people."

Big picture ... this convo is turning into rich vs. poor, which is a raging debate in this country -- as it seems there's a growing hatred of the 1%, whom many feel could be/should be contributing more to help society. In this case, George is on the receiving end of that.

Of course, the flip side of this is ... who the hell knows what George may already be doing and/or donating to help the cause in Ukraine? He could be pouring tons of cash and other resources toward the effort without anyone's knowledge -- and if he is, would he still be considered an opulent snob up in the ivory tower??? If we're being honest ... probably not.

As Ukrainians try fleeing while Putin wreaks havoc -- one group that's been all but forgotten is ... unborn kids in the form of embryos, which some docs are fighting hard to save.

Word of a brave practitioner named Birol Aydin -- who runs an IVF clinic called IVMED in Kyiv -- has spread to the community online, and the story goes ... this man has attempted to remove a number of cryogenic tanks containing precious would-be life out of the country.

As one Yale professor puts it on FB ... Aydin supposedly tried smuggling upwards of 17 cryo tanks on day 1 of the Russian invasion, and after 5 days of travel -- he finally reached the border and was apparently able to get at least five of the tanks out of Ukraine in the first trip.

The professor, Cihan Halicigil, says he's hearing that Aydin had to go back for the rest shortly thereafter ... also noting he's a Turkish citizen, and under no obligation to do this.

As for the rest of the clinics in town, it's said to be very dangerous right now ... with a majority of the tanks being stored in bunkers with a low supply of liquid nitrogen (needed to keep them cold) and not a great outlook of viability the longer this conflict lasts.

Even more troubling is the fact that any male IVF docs and/or staffers are reported to have taken up arms in the military there to help fight ... leaving the facilities unmanned and mostly abandoned as Russia continues to move in on the capital.

Halicigil -- who's in the loop on all this from here in the U.S. -- tells TMZ ... these tanks contain anything from eggs and sperm to full-blown embryos that must remain at -196 degrees Celsius, or perish. The conflict has created a supply issue for the liquid nitrogen needed to help keep these tanks up and running -- and that the best of them can stay up and functioning for up to a couple months, assuming all other conditions are favorable.

As for Aydin, it sounds like he was able to get all 17 tanks to a safe place in a bordering country -- but Hilicigil wouldn't give that up for security reasons. Scary stuff, indeed.

Ukraine is getting pummeled by the Russian military, but not at zero cost, and this image of a Russian helicopter going down in flames is proof ... Ukrainians still have a lot of fight left in them.

It appears the helicopter was cruising along when it was hit by a Ukrainian missile. You see the chopper burst into flames as it crashes to the ground.

The direct hit causes the helicopter to explode in a fireball. It looks like the video was shot from a drone. As the chopper goes down, you hear someone say "Glory to Ukraine!"

It's unclear where the incident occurred, but there are reports it's around 25 miles from Kyiv.

The type of helicopter is commonly referred to as a "flying tank" because of its size. The type of helicopter was featured in 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' and "Rambo III."

Lindsey Graham is getting dragged for saying someone in Russia should murder Putin, and by a person that knows a lot about the subject -- the Navy SEAL who shot and killed Osama bin Laden.

Robert O'Neill tells TMZ ... as a Senator, Graham shouldn't have made those comments. He notes Graham's a part of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and believes the Senator should be using those backdoor channels to get the work done instead of talking about it on news TV -- noting politicians shouldn't be worrying about ratings.

Senator Graham took to Fox News on Friday, responding to the terrors developing in Ukraine ... saying "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country and the world a great service."

Now, Robert doesn't completely disagree with Graham, telling us someone on the inside should put a hit on Putin if the madness doesn't end soon. For now, he's hoping this can all end without getting messy and one of Putin's associates knocks some sense into him!

Robert says Putin is losing his mind ... and something needs to get done quickly, as innocent people die every day in Ukraine.

'Jeopardy!' is getting ahead of any issues viewers might have with tonight's episode that features a clue tying Russia and Ukraine together ... saying it was recorded well before the current conflict in Europe.

The show's Twitter account posted a message Friday, hours before the show aired, that read, "Please note the clue in today's show concerning Russia and Ukraine was recorded on Jan. 11, 2022."

As for the clue in question, it's alleged to be, "The Kerch Strait -- Along with Serious Border Issues -- Separates Russia From This Country on The Black Sea."

Donald Trump says he threatened Vladimir Putin during his presidency ... telling the Russian leader America would attack Moscow if the ex-KGB officer attacked Ukraine.

#45 made the revelation during a phone conversation with golf legend John Daly (JD had the call on speakerphone, and someone recorded) ... which was posted on the Internet.

"It's like they're afraid of him. You know, he was a friend of mine. I got along great with him. I say, 'Vladimir, if you do it, we're hitting Moscow.' And he sort of believed me, in like 5%, 10%, that's all you need."

"He never did it during my time, John," Trump told Daly, adding, "Why didn't he do this during the last 4 years?"

Of course, Trump is referring to Putin's forces invading Ukraine -- a sovereign nation -- just 1 year into Joe Biden's presidency.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, and the country's largest city, with an estimated population around 13 million.

Trump also touched on China and its president, Xi Jinping and the possibility of a future crisis in Taiwan.

Many security analysts are concerned China could follow Russia's playbook and invade Taiwan ... but Trump says he also warned China -- like he did with Putin -- of serious consequences if there was an incursion into Taiwan.

"Xi didn't bother me either. I told him the same thing."

Trump believes with Biden at the helm, an invasion is imminent.

"Taiwan will be next. You won't have any computer chips. They'll blow them off the face of the earth."

The country is responsible for the manufacturing of a majority of the world's semiconductor chips ... a necessity for almost all modern technology, including everything from cell phones to military equipment.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is on board with encouraging the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he admits America's leaders need to be very careful about how and where they say that.

The Republican congressman joined us Friday on "TMZ live," and we got his reaction to Sen. Lindsey Graham's controversial comments ... calling for Russians to kill Putin. He actually agrees with Graham about taking out Putin, but says he doesn't think the U.S. has to be the one to do it.

Kinzinger says the whole point of seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs is to push them toward taking out Putin.

Sen. Graham came under fire Friday after publicly pushing the notion of assassination.

However, Kinzinger did acknowledge words matter, and the last thing we want to do is stir up folks in Russia to rally against the U.S.

As far as other folks within the Republican party going after Graham for his comments, Rep. Kinzinger says he respects them too and adds ... it's good for politicians in the same party to have a mind of their own.