Anderson Cooper Stays in Touch With Family He Met While Visiting Ukraine

Although Anderson Cooper was born to one of the nation’s wealthiest families — the Vanderbilts — he has spent his adult life focused on his journalistic work. Cooper has visited many of war zones throughout his career and has been a fixture at CNN for over 20 years. Viewers of his show Anderson Cooper 360 (and many others) have questioned why Cooper visited Ukraine in 2022.

Just weeks after the birth of Cooper’s second son Sebastian, the 54-year-old journalist and television host reported live from Lviv, Ukraine. During that time, he shared stories on the ground from Ukrainian people fleeing the violence as Russia continued to invade the country. Since visiting the country that is still fighting for its freedom, Cooper has kept in close communication with a family that was living in Kiev.

Here's what we know about Cooper's trip to Ukraine.

Cooper has long reported in difficult situations and in war-torn countries. In 2008, he shared about the risk that reporters take of becoming desensitized to violence. “It takes more and more brutality to make you notice,” he said in a talk at Columbia University’s journalism school.

Cooper stated that journalists shouldn’t report if they can’t see issues humanely. “If they can’t be affected by the reality of what they see, they have no business being there.” He may have been drawing from that lesson as he reported on the Russian bombings of Ukraine.

Cooper was featured on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and he spoke about the images of violence and courage he has observed in Ukraine. He was stationed in Lviv, a city near the border between Poland and Ukraine.

Although Cooper claimed that the area was in was “relatively safe,” he noted the reality of frequent air raid sirens and people having to hide in underground bunkers and basements to try to avoid the greatest danger.

Cooper acknowledged that the bombings and attacks on Ukraine are terrible. However, he emphasized the bravery of the Ukrainian people. He said, “The reality of the strength of the Ukrainian defense forces and the volunteers has been extraordinary.”

In another conversation with Colbert, Cooper explained that although not everything that happens in a war should be broadcast, “it’s important to see what is happening.” He expressed the belief that people can gain empathy for Ukrainians by seeing coverage of the nation.

“I believe in bearing witness to the dignity of people here and also the indignity that is being done to people,” he told viewers.

Cooper, who in March 2022 publicly expressed gratitude for his three weeks of paternity leave to spend time with his newborn son Sebastian, met with families and children in Ukraine. He said on Live with Kelly and Ryan that he had never had three full weeks off before and it was “amazing.”

Cooper shared videos of him speaking with Ukrainians like mother Olena Gnes, learning about the realities of taking shelter from bombings with her young children. Since his visit, Cooper has continued to keep in touch with Gnes. At the end of February 2023, the TV journalist shared a video via YouTube of him meeting up again with Gnes, who fled Ukraine with her family. They are currently residing in a home in a small town in Georgia.

Back in March 2022, Cooper tweeted a video about children in a Ukrainian hospital, calling them “the war’s littlest victims.”

Many viewers have wondered how Cooper could leave his baby at home and potentially put himself in harm’s way. He obviously believes in his work and the importance of educating the world about what's happening in Ukraine.