Operation Nightingale
Humanitarian Assistance and Evacuation Services
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Exlog remains active in supporting organizations with at-risk people; providing ground truth advice and evacuation services.
- Situation Report
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to pose a severe threat to safety and security in nearly all regions of the country. Exlog is conducting evacuation efforts and advising in shelter-in-place procedures for individuals not able to move in the immediate term. Individuals seeking to leave Ukraine should be prepared for a lengthy and unpredictable overland movement due to rapidly changing military actions, checkpoints, and bottlenecks caused by limited route availability. Everyone, whether attempting to move to a neighboring country or other safe-haven or remaining at home, must be prepared to seek shelter from both ground combat and air and missile strikes. Intermittent internet and utilities outages have been reported and may inhibit communications.
- Key Developments
- Evacuation operations of Ukrainian noncombatants and foreign nationals are ongoing, though hazardous. Military checkpoints and growing queues of noncombatants on routes toward western border crossings are complicating overland movements. Long wait times continue to be reported at several crossing points, especially into Poland. Neighboring governments have boosted capacity to process refugees from Ukraine, extended checkpoint operating hours, and may be relaxing travel documentation requirements. However, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18-60 are barred from departing the country unless they meet certain exemptions. Commercial airspace over Ukraine is unlikely to reopen in the near term.
- Aerial bombing, shelling, and heavy gunfire have been periodically reported in and around Kyiv, especially in northwestern neighborhoods. Ground transportation within and through the city is challenging due to the presence of checkpoints, and overnight curfews remain in effect.
- Russian forces have made significant advances into coastal areas of southern Ukraine – especially Mariupol and the surrounding area. Fighting has also been reported in and around the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv as Russian troops advance toward Odesa.
- Despite early aerial attacks against a small number of military sites in western Ukraine, the security situation in the region remains relatively stable. However, local authorities are bolstering defenses against possible Russian military attack, including erecting checkpoints and enforcing overnight curfews. Cities in the area, particularly Lviv, have become a staging area for internally displaced persons and those looking to depart the country; transportation and temporary lodging options for these individuals may be limited.
