Friday 30 September 2022 05:23 AM TikTok star Harrison Pawluk who gave lady flowers in mall reveals own family ... trends now
A TikTok influencer who sparked national outrage when he shared a video of himself giving flowers to a lady in a shopping centre has revealed how he is grappling with his own demons.
Harrison Pawluk stirred controversy earlier this year when the subject of that video - which has been viewed 70.8million times - said she felt dehumanised by his 'clickbait' gesture.
But behind the random acts of kindness and free hugs on video, the 22-year-old Melbourne social media star - known online as lifeofharrison - has been dealing with the horror of Russia's war with Ukraine.
Pawluk has a cousin who was trapped in her Kyiv apartment when Russian bombs started falling in late February, with the sky 'raining missiles' when she briefly left her bunker to get water and clean clothes.
This woman, who is a first cousin of his mother Diana Pawluk, had sought refuge in a bunker below her apartment when the invasion began.
Harrison said the situation was particularly harrowing for his family, considering that great, great uncles on his mother's side had disappeared and were possibly murdered during the 1930s when Soviet communist dictator Joseph Stalin sent Ukrainians to gulags, or forced labour camps as part of an enforced famine.
'Mum's great uncles who lived in Ukraine during the Stalin era were sent off to Siberia never to be seen or heard from again,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
Scroll down for video
A TikTok influencer with 3.2million followers who sparked national outrage when he gave flowers to a lady in a mall has revealed he has relatives caught in Russia's Ukraine war (pictured is Harrison Pawluk)
His video has been viewed 70.8million times since it went live in June and stirred controversy when that woman in the Melbourne shopping centre, Maree (pictured), said she felt dehumanised
But behind the random acts of kindness and free hugs on video, the 22-year-old Melbourne social media star has been dealing with the horror of the war in Ukraine (Harrison Pawluk, right, is pictured with his mother Diana Pawluk, who had a first cousin in Ukraine during the start of the Russian invasion)
Harrison, a university student, is speaking out against Russian atrocities, from past and present generations, after President Vladimir Putin this month vowed to deploy 300,000 military reservists as the Ukrainians regain territory.
'I find it deeply upsetting that an independent nation was attacked without any provocation whatsoever,' he said.
'So many innocent people have been tortured and killed, and those who have been fortunate enough to survive have been left with nothing but ruins or have had to flee to other countries.
'I'm so proud of the Ukrainian people's determination, unwavering spirit and resilience to fight and re-take what is rightfully theirs.
'I hope to visit and help rebuild when the time comes.'
Diana said her cousin, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, had lived through eight years of Russia attempting to destabilise Ukraine, only to be surprised by the invasion seven months ago.
'Although my family in Ukraine were aware of some destabilisation in the country and were directly affected by a massive
