The famous actor from Star Wars is no stranger to Ukraine either. Last year he was made ambassador in support of Ukraine Army of Drones project, accepting the role from President Zelenskyy.
Source: Associated Press
"Attention. Air raid alert," the voice says with a Jedi knight's gravitas. "Proceed to the nearest shelter."
It's a surreal moment in an already surreal war: the grave but calming baritone of actor Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker of Star Wars, urging people to take cover whenever Russia unleashes another aerial bombardment on Ukraine.
The intrusion of Hollywood science-fiction fantasy into the grim daily realities of war in Ukraine is a consequence of Hamill's decision to lend his famous voice to Air Alert — a downloadable app linked to Ukraine's air defence system.
When air raid sirens start howling, the app also warns Ukrainians that Russian missiles, bombs and deadly exploding drones may be incoming.
"Don't be careless," Hamill's voice advises. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."
And what do ordinary Ukrainians think of the app?
Olena Yeremina, a 38-year-old business manager in the capital, Kyiv, said Hamill’s “May the Force be with you” signoff at first made her laugh. Now its enduring humor gives her strength.
“It’s a very cool phrase for this situation,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that I feel like a Ukrainian Jedi, but sometimes this phrase reminds me to straighten my shoulders and keep working.”
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the app is used by approximately 11 million Ukrainians.
We will remind you that the "Air Raid" application was developed to notify the population of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. It is currently used by 11,000,000 smartphone owners.
