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Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau takes shelter in Kyiv metro during Russian air raid threat, calls it a ‘rough night’

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, known for playing Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, took shelter in a Kyiv metro station during a Russian air raid threat.

Published on: Oct 31, 2026, 09:04:05 IST
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Jamie Lannister is in Ukraine. Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for playing the blonde antihero in Game of Thrones, took shelter alongside Ukrainian residents in a Kyiv metro station during a Russian air raid threat this week. Pictures and videos emerged from Nikolaj's visit to Kyiv this past week, where he interacted with locals.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at a makeshift bomb shelter in Kyiv.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at a makeshift bomb shelter in Kyiv.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau visits Kyiv

The Danish actor, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), shared details of the experience on his Instagram Stories. He was in Kyiv as part of efforts to raise awareness about the situation in Ukraine amid the ongoing war.

“Spent a night in the Kyiv Metro. Pretty rough night. I get to do it one night and tell the tale but for thousands of Ukrainians it's a necessity to be safe during the shelling. We need to keep helping the civilians and uphold the rules we all agree on,” he wrote.

Page Six obtained photos of the actor's visit to the Ukrainian capital, showing him resting on a cot inside the metro station. He was seen wearing a blue UNDP hoodie, khaki cargo pants and black sneakers. Other pictures show him inside the station alongside passengers who had also taken shelter, interacting with them and even clicking selfies. The actor was also spotted carrying a green backpack and a black bag containing his supplies as he walked past makeshift tents.

The 56-year-old actor subsequently shared a snapshot of Kyiv's air raid alerts, which remained at red level for three consecutive days, from 27 October to 29 October.

The actor also spoke to local media outlets about his visit. Explaining his visit, the actor said he wanted to raise awareness and ensure that the international community continued to pay attention to Ukraine. He said he was there to make sure that “people don’t forget there’s a country in need.”

“They’re doing amazing, but they need help from the international community, especially now that we’re getting closer to winter,” he added.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's career

Having begun his career in his native country, Denmark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau moved to Hollywood in 2001, appearing in films like Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven. In 2011, he earned his breakthrough role of Jaime Lannister in HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones, which ran for eight seasons till 2019.

His performance earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2019. The actor most recently starred in the lead role in the BBC miniseries King & Conqueror, released last year.

Beyond acting, he has served as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador since 2016, supporting initiatives related to climate action and gender equality.

  • Abhimanyu Mathur
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Abhimanyu Mathur

    Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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