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Surrogate mothers among 60 people rescued in Ukraine by Tampa-based group

Project DYNAMO said it helped move 40 children out of harm's way.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay-based Project DYNAMO, which has been continuing efforts to rescue people in war-torn Ukraine, announced it helped five pregnant surrogates bearing American children.

They were among a total of 60 people, including the Ukrainian mothers' children and family members, who fled areas that have been under attack by the Russian military over the weekend, the organization said in a news release.

For weeks, Project DYNAMO team members have moved people out of harm's way since the U.S. government said the military would not be planning an operation in Ukraine. The group noted it has rescued more than 400 people and helped provide transport to neighboring countries.

Surrogate mothers, the organization says, are legally unable to leave Ukraine prior to giving birth. Team members went into areas near Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Nickolaev and Kakhovka and were able to take them to a safe location where they can stay until they are either able to deliver their babies or be moved elsewhere.

Forty children and 15 adults were moved in the mission, which took about 30 hours, Project DYNAMO said. 

"We’re just relieved these missions were successful and with all involved safely out of harm’s way," Bryan Stern, the co-founder of Project DYNAMO, said in a statement. "As indiscriminate attacks injuring and killing scores of civilians are increasing, these rescues of civilians, including pregnant surrogates, are becoming even more imperative and more difficult given the dynamic threat environment."

There remain more than 100 surrogate mothers who have applied for evacuation but remain in dangerous areas, according to the organization. Anyone in need of evacuation is urged to register at projectdynamo.org and register for the U.S. State Department's STEP Program.

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