Benedict Cumberbatch Is Opening His U.K. Home to Ukrainian Refugees: 'Trying to Help'

Benedict Cumberbatch also noted that he's been financially assisting other Ukrainian nationals who are U.K. citizens, attempting to house their extended families

Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch. Photo: P. Lehman/Barcroft Media via Getty

Benedict Cumberbatch is stepping up for Ukrainian refugees amid Russia's invasion.

The Emmy Award winner, 45, revealed that he's opening his U.K. home to a Ukrainian family fleeing the war in their country as he spoke to Sky News on Tuesday at the London premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

"They've made it out of Ukraine, I'm monitoring their progress every day," he said of the family he's hosting with the help of nonprofit Refugees at Home.

"Sadly, they are undergoing some medical treatment — to say anything more about that would be invasion of their privacy and too much about when they're coming and how that's being managed would invade mine — but I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they've experienced, and that's within my home," Cumberbatch added.

Cumberbatch also noted that he's been assisting other Ukrainian nationals who are U.K. citizens, attempting to house their extended families.

Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, camp inside a shelter in a gymnasium at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez as they await processing of their applications along the border with the United States in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, April 9, 2022. - In Tijuana, a massive operation of volunteers works 24 hours a day to shuttle Ukrainian refugees arriving at the Tijuana airport through a network of camps - providing them with food, clothing, shelter, and processing with immigration authorities before they are bussed to border crossings from Mexico to the United States.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

"So, I've been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances," Cumberbatch said.

The Power of the Dog actor praised Refugees at Home for also providing mental health support, which is important for refugees facing the psychological trauma of war.

"However gentle and generous and welcoming we are as hosts, we don't have the skills of the mental health professions to necessarily deal with those things," he said. "I would urge people to seek out further help to bolster their efforts, and people are doing an amazing amount — it makes me very proud, very, very proud of our country and very proud of what we can be at our best as a human race."

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the devastation change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than a million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

RELATED VIDEO: As Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Continues, Citizens Around the World Still Manage to Uplift Each Other

The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

Putin, 69, insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy, 44, vowed not to bend. "Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding: "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.

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