Nonprofit Project Dynamo led by Tampa-based veterans have launched a rescue operation in an attempt to evacuate dozens of Americans out of Ukraine amid the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“The rescue operation began in Kyiv following the multiple Russian air strikes on the Ukrainian capital,” James Judge, the group’s spokesperson said.
“Our staff on the ground felt the close blasts in Kyiv,” Judge stated.
According to him, there were dozens of US citizens, including legal U.S. permanent residents, who left Kyiv in three vehicles bound for an American embassy in an undisclosed neighboring country.
“Project Dynamo is presently rescuing roughly 28 Americans,” he claimed.
“The evacuation began minutes after our team on the ground physically felt the nearby explosions in Kyiv. The convoy stopped for the night late on Thursday local time, and would proceed to its destination in the morning” Judge added.
Just recently, Biden has ordered that no American troops will be sent to Ukraine and since nobody is going to retrieve Americans, the group of veterans realized it was up to them to do the job.
Moreover, founded in August, Project Dynamo is an all-volunteer and nonprofit group that consists mainly of U.S. military veterans. The initial mission of the volunteers was to gain safe passage from Afghanistan for Americans after the Taliban seized power in the country.
The group reportedly went to Ukraine discreetly in December amid Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine’s border. The country had increased rescue preparations in January following the warnings and sanctions that the U.S. government planned to impose in case Russian invasion happens.
Meanwhile, Judge made it clear that although “authorities were being kept informed of what we’re doing, we’re not working in coordination on behalf of them.”
According to him, hundreds of people seeking evacuation have been contacting the group since Russian hostilities began.
