Ukrainian adult film star poses with soldiers who lost limbs in battle for morale-raising photoshoot
Ukrainian adult film starlet Yulia Seniuk staged a charity calendar photoshoot with front-line soldiers who lost limbs defending their homeland from Russia — with the proceeds going toward rehabilitation and prosthetics for other wounded warriors in need.
Seniuk, 28, known on screen as Josephine Jackson, announced the shoot on her Instagram Friday, which was staged in an elegant and ornately decorated Ukrainian theater, complete with crystal chandeliers and gilded inlay on the ceilings.
Seniuk posed with each of the men in various sections of the theater wearing a series of suggestive-yet-chic evening gowns. The 12 soldiers selected for the calendar — one for each month of the year — were sharply dressed themselves, wearing suits and ties or tuxedoes.
All of the veterans were missing at least one limb, and the shoot made no effort to obscure their prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs from view.
The grand setting and sophisticated wardrobe choices were deliberate, Seniuk said, and were intended to show the soldiers in a more dignified light than how they’re often portrayed — either in uniform or as patients in a rehabilitation center.
“This transformation reveals them from a completely different side, showing what refined, elegant and handsome gentlemen they are. It gives them more self-confidence and a sense of self-sufficiency,” she told Ukrainian news outlet Obozrevatel.
“These are the emotions we should give them, not pity and tears.”
The video on Seniuk’s Instagram offers a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot, in which the soldiers are seen smiling broadly and enjoying the moment.
One brief clip zooms in on a soldier’s prosthetic hand holding hers, locking fingers with the actress.
Commenters on her post showered her with praise for her unique approach to supporting the Ukrainian troops, according to the outlet, with many already asking when the calendar will be available for purchase.
“This woman has done more than our MPs and politicians. Yulia, you are an amazing person,” one commenter wrote.
“Haters gonna hate, but she is great,” another weighed in.
“Although it is a joyful video, it touched me to the heart. Our incredible, strongest defenders! Thank you for this project! Yulia did a great job!”
Late last month Ukraine marked the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s military invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the time that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had lost their lives in the conflict so far, but opted not to share the number of wounded or missing troops.
A US intelligence report from December 2023 estimated as many as 315,000 Russian troops have been wounded or killed in the fighting.
