Hollywood actress, director, and UNITED24 ambassador Katheryn Winnick returned to wartime Kyiv on the eve of the country’s Independence Day. In an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, she shares her raw impressions of spending nights in bomb shelters under ballistic missile strikes, discusses her humanitarian work with the Winnick Foundation, and explains why the world must not give in to war fatigue. Winnick also opens up about honoring her Ukrainian heritage, the unbreakable spirit of ordinary Ukrainians, and the urgent need to correct historical distortions about Kyivan Rus in global pop culture. Kyiv Post: Katheryn, it’s great to see you in Kyiv on the eve of the 35th anniversary of our Independence Day in Ukraine. Let’s start with the main event – you have received a state award from President Volodymyr Zelensky. What does this award mean to you?JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Katheryn Winnick: Well, first of all, I’m really honored to be herein Kyiv on the eve of independence – 35 years we’re celebrating. And it’s such an incredible thing to come back. This is now my third time here in Kyiv, and to see the resilience of the Ukrainian people is really inspiring. We had the summit for UNITED24 the other day, and I was surprised and greatly honored that President Zelensky offered me an award. But, more importantly, I felt that he is the one that deserves an award for being the voice of the Ukrainian people and everything that he’s going through on a day-to-day basis. And to the people of Ukraine, your strength and your courageous outlook on things are very inspiring to the rest of the world. And please know, as hard as these times are, don’t give up. We all think of you, and we all stand with you.