A former Quebec soldier, who has evacuated dozens of Afghans since the Taliban returned to power, is now helping Ukrainians stuck in at-risk areas.
“I’ve traveled everywhere, I’ve fought in Afghanistan and I’ve never seen anything like it. It looks like something straight out of the Second World War,” says Kynan Walper straight away.
After eight months evacuating Afghans with ties to Canada stuck in their country, he set sail for Ukraine on March 2 to put his logistical knowledge to good use.
“We just showed up at the Ukrainian border and crossed it. We have since been building a network including a ton of contacts in the Ukrainian, Polish and Canadian governments,” says the resident of Wakefield, Outaouais.
During his discussion with Le Journal, he was on his way home after rescuing a Canadian citizen living in Kyiv who was stuck in the south of the country.
Evacuation in Mariupol
In one month, Kynan Walper evacuated about thirty people.
He and his team were notably able to get 14 people out of Mariupol, this port city besieged since the start of the Russian invasion. At least 5,000 people are said to have died there, according to the most recent report from the Ukrainian authorities.
The team also helped evacuate two former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) translators from Sumy and Rivne, two towns currently under bombardment.
“All those we transported suffered from a major post-traumatic syndrome because of the constant warning sirens and all the bombings,” he laments.
More aid than in Afghanistan
The former CAF captain had also been very critical of the management of the evacuation of refugees to Canada after the fall of the Afghan government last August.
“There were a lot of promises, fine words expressed, but that translated into very little movement,” he told Radio-Canada in November.
“The response of Canadian authorities was much better in Ukraine compared to what happened in Afghanistan […]. They’re not moving as fast as other governments, but they’re doing everything they can,” says Walper now.
“We help Ukrainians find a place in Poland, go through all the visa paperwork. Canada has made it much simpler than it was in Afghanistan. I salute their efforts,” he said.