SINGAPORE – Former actor Ix Shen has returned to Singapore for the first time after having been in war-torn Ukraine.
During his 15 months there, he focused on helping with humanitarian aid as part of a volunteer group.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 50-year-old Singaporean said he is glad to be home, his first time back since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Monday, he said he had come back to discuss the details of a memoir he is writing.
“During my time in Ukraine, I journalled all my experiences to help me deal with the situation I was in,” he added. “The more I wrote, the more I found it suitable to make into a memoir.”
He said the memoir focuses mainly on the intense parts of his stint in Ukraine – from Feb 24, 2022, till he was evacuated to Poland in the middle of March.
“Many people have been asking me to share my experiences there, and I think writing this book will be the best way,” he added.
Other than finalising details regarding his book, he noted that he will also be speaking at multiple Total Defence events.
He will be sharing his experiences with humanitarian aid and rescue efforts, and also his expertise on how to deal with crisis situations.
Shen said he will be here for up to three months, which will allow him to catch up with family and friends. It will also give him opportunities to meet and update the sponsors who have supported his efforts in Ukraine.
He was thrust into the limelight in the early days of the war, when social media posts of him getting caught up in the Russian invasion of Ukraine went viral.
Shen, who was then living in Kyiv with his Ukrainian wife, has since garnered a following as he provided updates on the situation in Ukraine and his volunteer work and evacuation from the Ukrainian capital.
He also referenced in his Instagram video the recent incidents of the Chinese balloon that was shot down by a United States fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina, as well as the subsequent downing of what were described as three unidentified flying objects over US and Canadian airspace.
He said: “Recently, over the skies of Canada, an unidentified flying object was downed as well. Let’s just hope that we didn’t start a war with someone that we are not expecting.”
When ST asked Shen who he was referring to in his use of “we”, he laughed and said that he only clarifies grammatical errors.
“I would rather the viewers make their own conclusions,” he added.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...e-for-the-first-time-since-the-war-in-ukraine
