JAKARTA - An American citizen in Ukraine who was accused of espionage and detained by Russian troops, is being evacuated to Poland with two of his family members, after being freed by a private group from Florida, USA.
Kirilo Alexandrov, 27, along with his wife and mother, are the latest of more than 600 people to be released on dozens of such missions since February, according to Project Dynamo, a Tampa-based group first formed to rescue Americans and others from Afghanistan. last year.
Alexandrov, a Michigan native who had moved to Ukraine, was arrested with his partner and mother-in-law in late March outside the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as they tried to flee the area following occupation by Russian troops, according to Project Dynamo.
According to Dynamo, Russian forces detained Alexandrov in Ukraine on the basis of nearly a dozen criminal charges related to alleged spying activities, which Dynamo said were fabricated.
He was interrogated and destined to be transferred to Moscow, "where he may be used for propaganda and subsequently jailed," the Florida-based group said in a statement.
Escape from Ukraine. Project Dynamo, based in Tampa Bay, is trying to get Americans out of the country by bus because planes are no longer flying. Our hearts and prayers are with you. pic.twitter.com/ICrJ5z5aOe
— FOX 13's Ken Suarez (@kensuarez2) February 24, 2022
Reuters could not speak immediately to verify the organization's account details. There was no immediate response from the Russian Embassy in Washington to a request for comment from Reuters.
A State Department spokesman said the agency was aware of these reports, but declined to comment further, citing "privacy considerations".
Project Dynamo has safely secured its third trip after more than a month of negotiations, Dynamo spokesman James Judge said. He further revealed that Alexandrov's Russian captors regularly provided 'proof of life' photos of him during talks.
Following his release, Alexandrov and his family were sent on a 10 to 15 hour road trip west from Ukraine, en route to a border crossing in Medyka, Poland, where they would arrive at around 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday, according to Dynamo.
He was expected to be met there by her mother, who had first contacted Project Dynamo about her son, and had flown into the area from Detroit with her husband.
Separately, the judge said the US State Department provided Alexandrov with an emergency passport in time for his release.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
Project Dynamo, founded by a group of US military veterans, made headlines in September 2021 when it orchestrated the chartered evacuation of more than 100 US citizens, flown from Afghanistan to the United States via the United Arab Emirates.
Bryan Stern, founder of Project Dynamo which spearheaded the effort, was also present in Ukraine leading the operation to free Alexandrov, the organization said.
The group released a video clip it said showed Alexandrov's handover from Russian troops to members of the Project Dynamo team, as Alexandrov and his family got out of a car parked in an off-road forest area. A photo shows Stern and Alexandrov posing together smiling.
The State Department said at a press briefing in February that about 6,600 Americans were believed to be living in Ukraine as of October 2021, but the exact number at the time of the Russian invasion was unknown.
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