Former UK PM Boris Johnson appears in Ukrainian New Year film – video

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been featured in the Ukrainian New Year film Train on 31 December.

Source: Yurii Horbunov, the film's director and starring actor, on Facebook

Horbunov also shared a video from the film's set, in which Boris Johnson uses a popular catchphrase and wishes everyone a Happy New Year.

Quote: "Dobryi den [‘Good afternoon’ in Ukrainian – ed.], everybody. Happy New Year, Ukraintsi [‘Ukrainians’ – ed.]," says the former PM in the video, wearing a hat bearing a phrase traditionally associated with Ukrainian Railways: "Carriage numbering starts from the front of the train".

Yurii Horbunov described the appearance of the British politician in the Ukrainian film as a "charming touch".

Quote: "We thank Boris Johnson, whom we affectionately call 'Johnsoniuk', for agreeing to appear in our film! We believe it’s a lovely, charming touch, a small but meaningful part of the magic of cinema!" wrote Horbunov. [Johnson gained the nickname "Johnsoniuk" among Ukrainians because of the former PM’s account name on social media, borisjohnsonuk, which is similar to many Ukrainian surnames ending with an "-iuk" suffix – ed.]

The plot of the Ukrainian comedy Train on 31 December follows the passengers of a train travelling from Kyiv to Lviv who become stranded in a desolate field. In these extreme conditions, the strangers are forced to bond and get to know each other better.

The film has already been released in cinemas across Ukraine.

Support UP or become our patron!