Ukraine

Ukrainian Olympic hero Yuriy Cheban, one of the country's greatest and most decorated sports heroes, is auctioning off his 2 gold and 1 bronze medals ... with the money going to the war effort in Ukraine.

Cheban contacted SCP Auctions ... who put his 2008 Bronze (Beijing), 2012 Gold (London), and 2016 Gold (Rio de Janeiro) medals on the auction block. The medals will be auctioned off separately.

The proceeds are going to Olympic Circle ... an organization "created by sportsmen to help fight Russian occupants in southern Ukraine by funding defense and recovery efforts." OC says they provide everything from equipment to fight, to toys for kids as well as food for Ukrainians in need.

Cheban is one of the greatest sprint canoeists ever ... and it's the event where he won his medals.

Awesome prices for what most would consider a worthy cause ... but if you're interested, you're running out of time! The auction closes on Saturday.

The 2012 and 2016 Gold both have bids of $16k ... meanwhile, the bronze medal has a bid of nearly $7K.

Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout crossed paths on a UAE airport tarmac in the hours after the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap ... and the moment was all captured on video.

The footage, shot by Russian state media outlet TASS, was released on Thursday afternoon.

In the clip, you can see Griner, wearing a red jacket, walking along with officials outside of private planes ... before coming into contact with Bout.

The men in the video all shook hands once they got within feet of each other. It's unclear if Griner and Bout did the same -- the video cut out as the WNBA star appeared to step toward the arms dealer.

In the footage, you can clearly see Griner's signature dreadlocks have been cut off. The last time we saw her at a court hearing in late October, her hair had still been long.

Further video released on Thursday shows Griner was in great spirits after the trade between the two countries was made ... telling someone on a plane that she was "good" -- and "happy."

Griner had been detained in Russia since February -- following allegations she brought hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. In August, she was sentenced to nine years behind bars in the case.

Her wife, Cherelle Griner, said Thursday morning at the White House she was ecstatic her wife was on the way home ... explaining she felt her family was "whole" again.

Conor Kennedy, who briefly dated Taylor Swift, recently opened up about a scary period in his life -- one where he went overseas to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Conor took to Instagram, saying he, like many others, was moved by what was happening in Ukraine, and wanted to help -- he realized the best way to do that would be to go to the embassy and enlist.

He writes, "Going in, I had no prior military experience and wasn’t a great shot, but I could carry heavy things and learned fast. I was also willing to die there. So they soon agreed to send me to the northeastern front."

Conor admits his time in the country wasn't long, but calls the experience "scary" ... adding he's lucky to have made it back alive, and "I would also take all the risks we took over again."

He's been met with an outpour of love in his comments ... with many calling him inspiration for the dangerous feat.

Stephen Curry took a moment to honor Brittney Griner during the Golden State Warriors' championship ring ceremony on Opening Night -- wishing the hooper a happy 32nd birthday and supporting the efforts to bring her home.

"We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shoutout a very special member of the basketball community -- Brittney Griner's birthday is today," Curry said before the Warriors hung their fourth banner in eight years.

"She's 32 years old. We want to continue to let her name be known. And, we pray that ... it's been 243 days since she's been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon and everybody's doing their part to get her home."

Griner, who's been in custody in Russia since February, briefly thanked her supporters during what should have been a special day ... saying in a statement, "Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home."

"All the support and love are definitely helping me."

As for the Warriors, their rings (made by Jason of Beverly Hills) are incredible -- they feature 16 carats of yellow and white diamonds set in yellow gold to represent their 16 wins in the playoffs.

It's the first championship ring to be made up of mostly yellow diamonds -- in honor of the team's "golden age."

They also have a special secret compartment ... which reveals the number of trophies each player has individually won over the course of their career.

There are seven carats of yellow cushion cut diamonds on the bezel to mark the team's total championships in franchise history ... and 43 baguettes in the bridge of the logo on top for Curry's 43-point performance in the Finals.

President Biden put the nation on red alert Thursday, announcing nuclear "Armageddon" is a real possibility given Russia's recent setbacks in its 8-month war in Ukraine.

At a Democratic fundraiser hosted by James Murdoch, Biden characterized Russian Czar Vladimir Putin as "a guy I know fairly well" -- and added, Putin was "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons."

Biden went on to say, "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis." He also implied the threat from Putin is tangible "because his military is -- you might say -- significantly underperforming."

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day showdown in 1962 born out of the Soviet Union's deployment of nuclear weapons in Cuba ... prompting the Kennedy administration to launch a naval blockade of the island.

As far as the public knows, it remains the closest the U.S ever came to a nuclear war.

Biden says he's still "trying to figure" out Putin's "off-ramp" in Ukraine. Where does he find a way out?" Biden asked. "Where does he find himself in a position that he does not not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?"

Despite Biden's chilling warning, U.S. officials have NOT seen Russia change its nuclear posture to launch an imminent attack.

A Russian rapper who was opposed to his country's invasion of Ukraine jumped from a high-rise building to his death ... after being drafted to fight in the war.

27-year-old rapper Walkie posted a video in which he said, "If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive. I can't take the sin of murder on my soul and I don't want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals."

Walkie went on ... "I choose to remain in history forever. As a man who did not support what was happening I am not ready to take up arms and kill my own kind."

He had already served in the Russian Army, and despised the experience. This time around he tried to get a deferment because of mental illness, but that did not fly with the Russian military.

Walkie was 27.

RIP

Roger Waters needs to know his audience better ... he had scheduled concerts in Poland after essentially blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion, so now he's decided to pull the plug on the whole thing.

Waters was set to perform at the Tauron Arena in Krakow. Thing is ... it's possible the war could be over by then -- possible. He clearly knows, however, hard feelings would linger so he's 86'd those appearances.

His manager is the one who pulled the plug, although he didn't say why, but it's obvious.

Waters recently wrote a letter to Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska -- a letter he made public -- claiming "extreme nationalists ... set your country on the path to this disastrous war."

Officials in Krakow had a resolution on the table for the coming week, in which they were about to name Roger persona non grata over his view of the war.

Waters has been on a tear against Ukraine and any country that supported it, including the U.S. for supplying weapons. He also took aim at NATO, which he says provoked Russia.

Pusha T's 2013 Kanye West-produced track "Numbers on the Board" is a war anthem, of sorts, for the government of Ukraine ... and Pusha is here for it.

The war-torn country's Ministry of Defense fired off a tweet Wednesday listing various Russian casualties, and it used the lyric -- "I put numbers on the board" -- as the setup for the boastful post.

Pusha caught wind of this and posted a retweet, saying ... "Great taste in music for the win."

While someone on Ukraine's social media team is clearly a big Pusha fan ... we're guessing all this Twitter activity won't do much for the VA rapper's standing in Russia. He's in pretty good company, though.

Actors Ben Stiller, Sean Penn and several American senators were issued lifetime bans this week from entering Russia, because the Foreign Ministry says they've made "Russophobic" attacks.

Pusha's no stranger to international bans, though -- he claims Canada doesn't want him either due to his beef with Drake.

Earlier this year on "Drink Champs," he said he was performing in Toronto back in 2018 -- the height of the Drizzy fued -- and after a particularly rowdy show Canada showed him the door ... permanently, he claims.

Interestingly enough, Drake's OVO homie Baka Not Nice dropped a new song titled "Body & A Face" on Wednesday ... which appears to take shots at Pusha while also referencing the "Drink Champs" comments.

"When you go on tour, you gon' have to leave the states/And then it's face to face/Noreaga interviews will get you n****s laced/I don't wanna hear you try to tell me 'bout mistakes/Almost lit your show up but we couldn't find the place/But Drizzy put me in my place/Told me just to wait (What?) ... YOLO Estates" ... Baka raps on the track.

Brittney Griner's plan to appeal her 9-year Russian prison sentence over a weed pen is underway ... but Onyx rapper Fredro Starr feels there are bigger political forces in play.

In a new interview clip from VladTV, Fredro actually admitted to smoking plenty of weed on Russian soil on several occasions!!!

According to Fredro's travels, Russia not only has better weed than top dog California, but they grow it too ... and from the picture he paints, recreational use sounds pretty common in the region.

He also suggests the country's hip hop scene is very liberal, alluding to the notion a 9-year punishment for a simple weed pen doesn't add up.

Griner officially filed her appeal on Monday, in conjunction with the United States government actively working for her release, calling her detainment unjust.

The last time we talked to Fredro, he was talking about a different kind of smoking ... as in torching Cypress Hill during their somewhat underpromoted Verzuz.

Brittney Griner is fighting back in her drug case in Russia -- formally filing an appeal of her conviction in the foreign country, days after she was sentenced to 9 years behind bars there.

Griner's attorney confirmed the filing to CNN on Monday. It's not immediately known what the grounds of the appeal are, or when it will be heard in court.

The move, though, was expected -- after Griner was convicted and sentenced on Aug. 4. The WNBA superstar admitted to having hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport, but she told a courtroom she packed it inadvertently and had no intentions at all of breaking the law.

Regardless of the appeal process, the U.S. -- which has called Griner wrongfully detained -- is continuing attempts to strike a prisoner swap deal with Russia in order to bring the 31-year-old home.

"I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates," Biden said following her conviction earlier this month.

"My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible."

Steven Seagal's pro-Russia publicity stunt isn't sitting well with orgs dedicated to helping Ukraine ... not in the slightest.

A rep for NOVA Ukraine, a nonprofit that spreads awareness of the war while providing aid to Ukrainians, tells TMZ ... the fact Seagal showed up at a Russian prison site -- where upwards of 50 innocent lives were taken at Putin's behest -- is despicable, especially since it served as nothing more than a photo-op.

They call it a "reprehensible example of how when your career is already tarnished some of us scrape to the lowest levels of Earth to claw back any relevancy, even being paraded around by dictators who oppose the U.S."

The rep adds that those who are flirting with Russia during this dire time -- like Seagal -- deserve to have sponsorships and opportunities stripped from them ... much like how businesses are exiting en masse there in general. SS hasn't had a mainstream Hollywood career in ages, so that wish is already coming true for NOVA.

Michael Capponi -- President of the Global Empowerment Mission, another org that’s working to help Ukraine -- tells TMZ ... Seagal, per usual, is acting as a pawn for Putin and that the guy was clearly given special access to the jail in question.

He continues by saying they've been on the ground there for 5 months, and adds this about the narrative Seagal and Russia are trying to spin ... "The notion or suggestion that Ukraine is doing this to themselves is not only patently false, it's dangerous misinformation and comes solely from Russian propaganda."

Capponi concludes ... "This is nothing but someone drinking too much Kool-aid. It has 0 merit. Ukraine is doing everything it can to defend its sovereignty. Ukraine is not attacking its own people."

Actor Steven Seagal, a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin, showed up at a Russian-controlled prison camp ... the site of an explosion on July 29 that slaughtered at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners.

Seagal seems to be surveying the wreckage ... eyeballing some of the shrapnel that killed the Ukrainians. There were hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners in the camp at the time of the blast.

Putin bestowed Russian citizenship on Seagal back in 2016 ... this after Seagal spoke out in favor of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Seagal is been vocal in his support of Putin, calling him "one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader alive today."

Ukrainian military officials have accused Russia of intentionally moving prisoners to the facility, knowing it would be the site of an attack.

As for Seagal, he was banned back in 2017 from entering Ukraine territory.

Roger Waters got into a heated debate with a CNN host about who's really to blame for the war in Ukraine -- saying it's actually the U.S. and NATO that are fueling the ongoing conflict.

The Pink Floyd rocker sat down with Michael Smerconish on his weekend show, and they were getting into it over Ukraine and China as well ... with RW taking the position that not all is as it seems when it comes to who's at fault for the fighting dragging on this long.

Watch ... he says we, the States, are partly at fault for keeping it going by not pressuring Zelensky to strike a deal with Putin for a cease-fire -- but instead, continuing to fund/supply their military efforts (Ukraine's, that is).

Smerconish pushes back on that, pointing out that Roger here seems to be pointing the finger at the country that was invaded -- but there, too, Roger doubles down ... and says this thing has been going on for far longer than just a year, arguing NATO has stoked the flames.

When he's confronted with the notion that America has an obligation to step in and be "liberators" ... Roger kinda loses it, saying they have no such place in the world -- even contesting that they weren't going to get involved in WWII until Pearl Harbor was attacked.

One last thing ... they also talk Taiwan, and Roger once again takes a counter viewpoint that the nation does, in fact, belong to the People's Republic, despite what the U.S. might think.

Jennifer Lopez has bounced from honeymoon to freedom fighter, headlining a UNICEF concert to help in the Ukrainian relief effort.

J Lo took the stage at a 14th-century monastery in Capri, and she looked pretty incredible in a zebra-print getup with feathers and glitz. And this is a shocker ... she showed off her abs, which is always a gift!

Jen wasn't done ... the next outfit was a nude thong bodysuit ... again, pretty incredible.

JLo was the headliner, following Diplo, Sofia Carson and DJ Cruz.

There were tons of celebs on hand ... Leo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens and Maye Musk. Jennifer's bro-in-law, Casey Affleck, was also there with his gf Caylee Cowan.

Some positive news on the Brittney Griner front from Colin Allred ... the U.S. congressman says officials have made "a very good offer" to Russia for the WNBA star -- and he's now as confident as ever that she'll be able to return home.

The representative couldn't get into specifics of the trade that America has sent to the Russians ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he believes the proposed swap is exactly what the foreign country is looking for in a deal for Griner.

"The ball is entirely in the Russians' court," Allred said Friday out on Capitol Hill ... before adding, "I think prospects, in my opinion, look better now than they have really at any point since she was taken."

But, Allred said he's under the impression Russia would like to impose a sentence on the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury center before it moves forward with accepting any trade offers.

The ex-Baylor football player, though, said he's optimistic it will eventually go down at some point hopefully soon.

"I think it's a matter of time," Allred tells us, "but I think it's going to get done."

Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February after authorities said she had hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She's since pled guilty to the charges, and is facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

Jennifer Lopez is putting the final touches on her performance — going through dress rehearsals for her charity concert over in Italy — and it looks like she's preparing to bring the house down.

J Lo is slated to roc the mic Saturday at a UNICEF benefit for Ukraine ... and by the looks of rehearsals, she'll be wearing an animal print ensemble, unless of course, she’s got multiple costume changes.

It also appears J Lo will have some flashy backup singers and disco balls, all the indications of a real party on stage.

J Lo also practiced some of her dance moves before busting out an animal print coat.

As we reported ... J Lo is sticking around in Europe for the benefit concert after vacationing with new husband Ben Affleck in France.