Andy Serkis revives Gollum to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine

The actor revived the character on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'

Andy Serkis has revived his Lord of the Rings character Gollum this week, using the character to criticise the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Serkis was discussing his voice work on The Lord of the Rings. He demonstrated the voice of Gollum and in doing so, criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by taking aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last Thursday (February 24).

“Gollum was on this side and Sméagol was on this side,” Serkis said in the segment.

“And he would say things like, ‘We wants it. We needs it. We must have Kyiv!’ ‘No Precious, they’re to impose sanctions!’ ‘Sanctions? Sanctions, my Precious? If they do anything, we’re going to give them shit back.’”

You can watch it below:

Ukraine, which has a population of 44million people, borders both Russia and the European Union. As the BBC reports, Russia has long resisted Ukraine’s move towards embracing European institutions like NATO and the EU.

Many figures from the music world have condemned Russia and shared messages of solidarity with the people of Ukraine over the past week.

Elton John said he was “heartbroken” over the “nightmare” that civilians are facing, while Miley Cyrus called for “an immediate end to this violence”. Other acts to have spoken out include YungbludFoals and Young Thug.

The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.

US President Joe Biden has pledged “severe” sanctions on Russia, saying in a statement that Ukraine is “suffering an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces” and that “Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the outbreak of conflict in the country was a “catastrophe for our continent”.

Ukraine, which has a population of 44million people, borders both Russia and the European Union. As the BBC reports, Russia has long resisted Ukraine’s move towards embracing European institutions like NATO and the EU.

Putin is now demanding guarantees from the West and Ukraine that it will not join NATO, a defensive alliance of 30 countries, and that Ukraine demilitarise and become a neutral state.

You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those affected by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.

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