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Former British soldiers in Ukraine rescued targets from Russian forces



This article was first published in Metro on May 3rd, 2023.


A team including former soldiers from some of the UK’s most elite regiments rescued key individuals from Kyiv as Russian forces hunted targets on a hit list at the outset of the invasion.


As the Kremlin’s troops sought ‘high value targets’ in the opening days of the war, emergency assistance and response company Inherent Risks swiftly evacuated the civilians to safety in Poland.


Russian special forces and mercenaries were said to have aimed for a rapid elimination of individuals – including Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – as the invasion began on February 24.


It followed a report in Metro.co.uk that targeted assassinations and replacements of civic officials with those friendly to Moscow had been drawn up by the Kremlin long in advance.


The attempted lightning assault met with fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces and was heavily stalled before the Kremlin withdrew its troops and proxy forces from some areas north of the capital.


Dan Kaine, head of risk and crisis advisory at Inherent Risks, said that his team acted quickly as Russian missile strikes pounded the city and gun battles erupted on the streets, with a fierce back-and-forth battle taking place for Hosotomel Airport around 20 miles to the north.


The unnamed Ukrainian citizens were extracted from their home near the Presidential Palace, the ceremonial residence of President Zelenskyy, in early March. At the time, traffic jams had built up heading west to the border crossing with Medyka in south-eastern Poland.


Mr Kaine, speaking from the Polish border, said: ‘In the early days of the conflict, when Russian special forces were closing in on Kyiv to hunt for people whose names were on a high value target list, Inherent Risks was retained to evacuate two people who were reported to be on that list.


‘The extraction would be from their home in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace, and then an evacuation to Lviv, before crossing the border the following day into Poland.

‘Reliable intelligence at the time was scarce due to the situation changing, often hour by hour.


‘We deployed a team to the region to gain some ground-truth and put eyes-on the extraction point.


‘The people we were tasked with extracting had been given a brief, through a trusted interpreter.


‘This included a time the following morning that they would receive a call, and to provide a passphrase that they would hear to know the caller could be trusted. The extraction the following morning was successful, as have many others been that Inherent Risks has led and coordinated throughout the country on behalf of insurers, religious and humanitarian organisations, and private clients.’


Former SAS, Paratroopers and other UK and US special forces and elite soldiers are playing a ‘pivotal’ role for risk advisory firms in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, Mr. Kaine said.

Inherent Risks also supports humanitarian work, which includes ensuring aid reaches its end point amid a profusion of organisations and individuals working just inside the Polish border in and around Medyka.


This has included building trust with senior members of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and other high-level contacts before facilitating the sourcing, acquisition and delivery of close to £1 million worth of essential aid into Ukraine on behalf of private client donors'.


The London-based contractor also supports media work, with journalists among those who risk being ‘caught in the crossfire’ as Russian forces and their proxies stand accused of war crimes and atrocities.


‘As with any conflict and post-conflict region, the specialist skills, discipline and experience that former special forces soldiers bring to an organisation can be pivotal to the success of its operations,’ Mr Kaine said.


‘The tactics used by Russia during the war in Ukraine is Reverse Asymmetrical Warfare, where the dominant force uses unconventional tactics to try and gain a strategic advantage over a perceived weaker force.


‘As we have already witnessed, this often disobeys the standards of the Geneva Convention, killing and injuring thousands of innocent civilians in the process. Unfortunately, staff and volunteers of media and humanitarian organisations have also been caught in the crossfire.

‘However, many haven’t, and a lot of that can be attributed to proper planning and preparation, often led by former special forces soldiers, hired by risk advisory firms, who can be force multipliers for any organisation.’


Captured British volunteer fighters who have rallied to Ukraine’s defence have been paraded in Russian propaganda videos.


They include Aiden Aislin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, who had been serving alongside Ukrainian troops. Last week another British combatant, former Royal Marine Scott Sibley, 36, became the first known UK national to be killed in the fighting since the war began 69 days ago.


Mr Kaine praised Westerners travelling to fight and to carry out humanitarian work but described many of those who arrived at the outset of the war as ‘young and naive’ with no military experience.


‘I’ve been in the region since just days after the conflict began and was at the Medyka border crossing in Poland at the very beginning of March when volunteer fighters from many countries were arriving in droves,’ he said.


‘Many of them were young and naive with no military experience. Some of who I, and others, were able to convince that if they wanted to help, being on the frontline where they were almost certainly going to be a hindrance, and be killed or injured, was not the right place for them.’


Mixed messages have been sent by the UK government to those wanting to volunteer for Ukrainian forces, who have a dedicated unit for foreigners.


In February, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss expressed her support for British nationals wanting to join the resistance. However Defence Secretary Ben Wallace subsequently advised people without military training or experience not to join the fighting and to find ‘better ways’ to support Ukraine. The government currently advises against travel to the country.


‘For many, we have heard time and again that as soon as they heard they were sanctioned by the British government to fight, they bought a ticket and did just that,’ Mr Kaine said.

‘Many had already entered Ukraine before the British Government then did a U-turn and declared it illegal. For those who have joined the fight, from whatever country they are from, my personal feelings are that it’s an incredibly noble and brave decision to make.


‘Considering that recent numbers suggest that 23,000 volunteers from all over the world are on the frontline, and the fact that there have been so few reports of foreign fighters dying, when compared to the amount of Ukrainian soldiers, it’s a logical conclusion that the training and discipline of veterans, many of who are from NATO countries, is helping to win this war.


‘For British citizens entering Ukraine to carry out humanitarian work, there is no law against this, and again, it’s incredibly noble and brave for them to be doing so. Standing by and doing nothing is the alternative, and when you witness the desperation and suffering the people of Ukraine are experiencing, that’s just not an option.’


Boris Johnson underscored the UK’s support for Ukraine today in an address via video link to Ukrainian MPs.


The Prime Minister echoed Winston Churchill by referring to ‘Ukraine’s finest hour’ when he became the first Western leader to address the parliament in Kyiv since the invasion began.

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