WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Florida-based non-profit Project DYNAMO, which has evacuated more than 200 American citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents of the U.S., as well as another 2,000 vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan since America’s withdrawal in August, is laying the groundwork for anticipated rescue operations in Ukraine as the country’s standoff with Russia escalates.
Project DYNAMO conducted a pre-deployment site survey in Ukraine in mid-January to coordinate resources and utilize key contacts that will be crucial in the evacuation of U.S. persons should the conflict turn combative and Americans become trapped as they were in Afghanistan.
While Project DYNAMO is monitoring the crisis in Ukraine and is preparing to act at a moment’s notice, their primary focus is to continue funding, planning and executing air and ground evacuation operations in Afghanistan.
With talks between Russia and the West failing and tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalating, the United States is warning of a serious risk of Russian incursion. President Biden has warned Americans to leave Ukraine immediately.
Currently, Russia has amassed approximately 140,000 troops along the Ukrainian border and within Crimea and its recent announcement of military exercises with neighboring Belarus has further complicated efforts to reach an amicable resolution and escalated risk to all in the region.
On Jan. 24, the U.S. Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. government employees, but ordered the mandatory departure of family members of U.S. government employees working at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.
With the Ukrainian-Russian situation intensifying, coupled with the U.S. government’s controversial handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Project DYNAMO is taking proactive measures to ensure no U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident is left stranded should Russia decide to invade. Unlike the surprise collapse of Afghanistan, Project DYNAMO is able to posture and plan in advance for the potentiality of Americans being left behind in Ukraine.
“Everyone is on edge right now dealing with this crisis, but none more so than our government employees and their families currently in Ukraine,” said Bryan Stern, co-founder of Project DYNAMO. “We’re working to get ahead of the situation so that way if things go south, we’ll be ready to act immediately to get every U.S. citizen and resident back stateside and out of harm’s way.”
Project DYNAMO is actively monitoring the situation and maintaining communications with Ukrainian contacts and other sources in the region should the situation continue to escalate.
About Project DYNAMO:
Derived from “Operation Dynamo,” the codename issued to the Dunkirk evacuation operation of World War II, Project DYNAMO is a privately run, donor-funded evacuation organization run by extraordinary civilians and veterans attempting to do the impossible — rescue Americans, NATO allies, and vulnerable Afghan partners who are fearing for their lives in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
