British protection team for VIPs to mark two years of war by sleeping out in Kyiv

A British team (left) that has protected high-profile visitors to Ukraine is showing its support for the country with a sleepout in Kyiv (Picture: Inherent Risks/Getty)

Three British military veterans are preparing to sleep out in Kyiv to raise funds for Ukrainian civilians in desperate need of help.

The trio, who run a global risk advisory and crisis response firm, want to support people who have been made homeless by Russia’s full-scale invasion, often at night and in freezing conditions.  

The Inherent Risks team’s work in Ukraine during the war has included protecting Piers Morgan for his exclusive TalkTV interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska.  

The company has also provided risk advisory for other visiting dignitaries including Ben Fogle, Sean Penn, Carey Mulligan, Bono and Jessica Chastain. 

Directors Mike O’Halloran, Matt Hooper and Dan Kaine will spend Friday and Saturday night sleeping outdoors in winter temperatures with just a mat and sleeping bag each for the GoFundMe appeal highlighting the discomfort and displacement people face every night.  

In the daylight hours they will be distributing humanitarian aid to local community initiatives as the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s all-out attack falls tomorrow with the war at a critical phase.  

The team will be sleeping outside in Kyiv as they raise funds for people in Ukraine who need emergency support (Picture: Inherent Risks)

‘While February 24 is the day that Ukrainians will never forget, February 25 for us signifies the second anniversary of when Inherent Risks first entered Ukraine, an experience none of us will forget,’ Mike said.

‘When we first arrived, desperate people were fleeing the country as humanitarian organisations were entering.

‘At that time we promised to do as much good as possible while we are here, and with this initiative we are continuing on that promise.’ 

Within 36 hours of Russia launching the attack, the Dublin-based contractor deployed to Ukraine to conduct emergency evacuations.

Metro.co.uk previously told how the team, which includes veterans from some of the UK’s most elite regiments, rescued individuals from Kyiv as Russian forces hunted targets on a hit list at the outset of the war. 

Inherent Risks has since remained in Ukraine, providing emergency medical evacuation, crisis response and insurance support to journalists, NGOs, war crimes investigators and visiting dignitaries.

A severely damaged residential block in the neighbourhood of Saltivka which lies in the Kharkiv region (Picture: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group)

Alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine include the destruction of civilian residences and properties (Picture: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group)

The trio are sleeping out at a time when Russian forces have seized the initiative on the battlefield in the east of the country, with Ukraine weathering a shortage of ammunition and uncertainty about a vital multi-billion dollar package of military aid from the US.  

The capital is frequently targeted by drone and missile attacks, and the fundraisers will abide by a curfew and have security and safety precautions in place, with permission to sleep in a controlled area.

In the event of an air raid siren, they will make their way to a bomb shelter, recognising that the constant threat of attack is a daily reality for tens of millions of people across Ukraine.

Life-saving equipment sourced by Inherent Risks arriving at a frontline Ukrainian military unit in March 2022 (Picture: Inherent Risks)

Ahead of the sleep-out in temperatures a little above freezing, the team has received a boost of support from Ross Kemp, whose TV work has taken him to conflict zones across the world, including Ukraine. 

In a video message, Kemp praised his ‘good friends’ and said, ‘I can assure you the funds raised will go to those in desperate need of help’. 

Speaking to Metro.co.uk from Kyiv, Dan warned that Ukraine was engaged in a bloody ‘war of attrition’, with Putin’s wider activities having a potentially ‘devastating’ impact on the West.  

‘While this week marks the two-year anniversary of Russia illegally invading Ukraine, it’s perhaps more important to realise that this week will lead into the third year of war,’ he said.  

A British team is standing with Ukraine as the country enters a critical phase in its fight against Russian military aggression (Picture: Inherent Risks)

‘Over half a million Ukrainian soldiers and over 10,000 civilians have already been killed, with tens of thousands left severely injured.

‘Reconstruction costs are estimated at over $490 billion. Not to mention the $150 billion of military aid funding which has already been pledged.  

‘Make no mistake, this is a war of attrition, and it does not seem like it will end any time soon.  

‘While tragic, perhaps the bigger story is what Putin plans for other countries. While the world focuses on Ukraine and Gaza, Moscow is moving pieces around the board in Africa and the Middle East.

‘This will have much more of a devastating impact on the security situation in the West if not contained.’ 

All the funds raised will go directly to REACT Disaster Response which harnesses the skills and experience of military veterans and first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams around the world in the wake of conflict and disaster. 

Food packs for families and disaster responders, solar panel chargers for families, portable community water purifiers and generators for hospitals are examples of the type of vital aid that can be provided through donations to the UK-based charity.

To donate click here  

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