Meme matters: Angelina Jolie's driver taken by Ukraine army goes viral on net

'No good deed goes unpunished' is meant to be a humorous expression in English that suggests when someone does something kind for someone else, they end up facing problems or criticism as a result.

Well, the cynics and comedians had a field day this week as Angelina Jolie paid a visit to the Ukrainian cities of Mykolaïv and Kherson.

The trip, organised by the international charity Legacy of War Foundation, enabled the actress and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to meet carers, volunteers and residents. She also visited medical and educational facilities, as well as underground structures protected from the bombardments.

This is the actress' second visit to Ukraine; in April 2022, she travelled to Lviv as part of a humanitarian mission and met injured children, displaced persons and volunteers.

Driving Ms Jolie

According to media reports, however, Jolie did not inform the Ukrainian authorities of her arrival and even crossed the border on foot. Kyiv has made no official comment on this trip.

Perhaps as a result, her motorcade was stopped by employees of the Territorial Recruitment Centre (TTsK in Ukrainian) during her visit to Mykolaïv, as this video is supposed to show.

One of the Ukrainians accompanying the actress was stopped by TTsK agents. The Ukrainian Land Forces Command told the UNIAN agency that the man, born in 1992, did not have the required documents and was therefore taken into custody.

On the spot, it was established that he was a reserve officer and had no grounds for exemption from military service, the military said.

The incident was quickly picked up by meme-makers, and as news spread these images went viral on the web. Here are just a few.