Kyiv, Ukraine: Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to a southern Ukrainian frontline city, in her second visit to the country since Russia launched its invasion, Ukrainian media reported on Wednesday.

Jolie, who has previously been a United Nations ambassador for refugees, visited a maternity ward and a children's hospital in Kherson, a city which was briefly occupied by Moscow in 2022 and still comes under daily Russian bombardment.

A photo published by local official Vitaly Bogdanov showed Jolie, whose hit films include "Maleficent", "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and the Lara Croft series, wearing a bulletproof vest with Ukrainian insignia.

Neither Jolie nor the Ukrainian government have confirmed the visit to Kherson, which lies on the other side of the Dnieper river from the Russian army.

The film star, who served as a UN special envoy for refugees from 2012 to 2022, had previously visited Ukraine a few months after the start of the Russian invasion.

Jolie, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in 1999's "Girl, Interrupted", met displaced persons in the western city of Lviv.

AFP