Benedict Cumberbatch to Participate in Program that Offers Brits £350 a Month to House Ukraine Refugees

The government is launching a new project this week to provide £350 ($457) a month to house Ukrainians fleeing the war, and actor Benedict Cumberbatch is also set to contribute.

Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, urged everyone to do their part in supporting Ukrainians during the ongoing conflict with Russia in a red carpet interview at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.

Cumberbatch stated that he hopes to be part of the record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes and also donate to charities that can help people in a real way on the ground, either in Poland or just over the border, if it's safe to do so.

On Friday, the UNHCR reported that over 2.5 million refugees had escaped to neighboring countries from Ukraine.

In a BBC interview on Sunday, Britain's housing minister Michael Gove disclosed information about the UK government's "Homes for Ukraine" initiative. This project will provide Britons with £350 monthly to accommodate Ukrainian refugees for a minimum of six months.

The U.K. government will launch an online portal on Monday for Britons to register their interest in the plan, with the process of matching refugees to U.K. homes starting on Friday. Polls have shown that "hundreds of thousands" of Brits may be willing to take in Ukrainian refugees.

Gove said he himself was exploring the possibility of taking in refugees.

According to the Home Office, as of Sunday afternoon, 4,000 people had been granted U.K. visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Gove predicted that the U.K. could receive "tens of thousands" of Ukrainian refugees.

He mentioned that he was interested in utilizing the properties of sanctioned Russian oligarchs for "humanitarian and other purposes."

The U.K. government recently expanded its sanctions list by adding seven Russian oligarchs, thereby restricting their assets and travel.

Roman Abramovich, a billionaire, is attempting to sell England's Chelsea soccer club. Among his portfolio of properties is a Kensington mansion worth £150 million and a Chelsea Waterfront penthouse purchased for £22 million in 2018.

Another billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, owns a multi-million pound property portfolio in the U.K., according to the government.

—CNBC’s Karen Gilchrist contributed to this report.