Sean Penn Honored in Kyiv with Custom Oscar Forged from War-Damaged Train Metal

After skipping the 2026 Academy Awards to visit Kyiv, Sean Penn was gifted a unique statuette forged from war-damaged railcars by Ukrainian Railways.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 6:16 AM EDT

Source: People

A Third Oscar Win in Absentia

The 65-year-old actor secured his third Academy Award on Sunday, March 15, winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama One Battle After Another. Penn previously won Best Actor for Mystic River (2004) and Milk (2009). Despite the high-profile nomination, Penn opted to skip the ceremony. Actor Kieran Culkin accepted the statuette on his behalf, as Penn had already traveled to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Symbolism of the Statuette

The custom-made award was presented by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrainian Railways. During the presentation, Pertsovskyi noted the irony of Penn's absence from the official ceremony, telling him, "You're missing Oscars... So we made this one."

Material: The metal was sourced directly from a railcar targeted by Russian forces.

Context: The gift references Penn's 2022 decision to loan one of his actual Oscar statuettes to President Zelenskyy as a symbol of faith in Ukraine’s victory.