Private group mounts evacuation of Americans from Ukraine amid Russian assault

Residents leaving Central Kyiv are pictured stuck in a highway, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

(Reuters) - A private volunteer group from Florida said it has launched an attempt to usher about two dozen Americans out of Ukraine in the first evacuation of U.S. citizens since the country came under Russian military attack on Thursday.

The rescue operation by the Tampa-based nonprofit Project Dynamo began in Kyiv as Russian air strikes on the Ukrainian capital were starting in the predawn darkness early Thursday local time, the group's spokesperson, James Judge, told Reuters.