Jared Leto on Harrowing 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War: 'Buildings Were Burning'

Jared Leto remembers the time he entered a war zone for one of his concerts with 30 Seconds To Mars in a new interview.

When speaking with Variety about his role intheupcoming film Morbius, Leto talked about his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Rayon" in Dallas Buyers Club at the 86th Annual Academy Awards in 2014. During his speech, he honored the "dreamers" in Ukraine and Venezuela, and said, "...we're thinking of you tonight."

He also describes what he saw while entering Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, which can be related to the ongoing war happening in the country of Ukraine today.

"I was on the ground when buildings were burning. The streets were barricaded," Leto explained, "You showed up at the airport; there's no customs. You just walk right through. There were civilians with AKs. It was a wild thing. Everyone told us not to go."

The year before his visit, the then-president of Russia, Viktor Yanukovych, refused a deal to unite with the European Union, according to Vox, which caused mass violent protests which caused a war between the protesters and Russia leading into the following year.

During his Oscar speech, Leto paid tribute to the people of Ukraine and Venezuela, "As you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we are thinking of you tonight."

A few days after the Oscars, 30 Seconds To Mars had concerts in both Ukraine and Russia. The rock band has over five million monthly listeners on Spotify and multiple songs with over 100 million streams.

While in the countries, he explained how important music is and how it makes a big impact on both him and the diverse crowds, "You learn about audiences while you're onstage or while you're in town passing through. And you hear those voices, and it's a powerful, beautiful thing."

Newsweek reached out to Jared Leto for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

Eight years later, in February of 2022, President Vladimir Putin urged Russia's military to invade the country of Ukraine. Newsweek video shows where Russian forces are in Ukraine now.

Anxiety and fear raced through the Ukrainian citizens as some went into hiding while others raced to find shelter in other countries while many either reentered the country or stayed back to fight for their homeland.

President Joe Biden has announced on March 16th in a press briefing that $800 million will be sent to Ukraine to better help them fight against the Russian military, and recently has also referred to President Putin as a "war criminal."

For live updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, see our live blog.