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ALGIZ Security, Monégasque company

to the rescue of Ukrainian refugees M. Radoman

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, ALGIZ Security, based
in Monaco and Menton has extracted more than 250 families.

Sascha Kunkel was contacted in relation to course, ranging from €1,500 to €50,000. “It all
extraction from Ukraine even before the first depends on the means deployed. Generally, the
bombings on Kyiv. “Evacuation requests started costs are covered by benefactors, companies,
a few weeks before the start of the Russian NGOs or insurance.”
invasion on 24 February. Since then, his security
and protection company, ALGIZ Security, has In Monaco since 2007
supervised rescue missions for the families Sascha Kunkel is used to risky missions, in
of businessmen or employees of international Iraq or Afghanistan. The German national, a
companies. “The latest evacuations are former Green Beret, set foot in Monaco for
medically-motivated: we extracted a lady the first time in 2002 where he was hired to
who had a degenerative disease and needed ensure the protection of a German family.
treatment. As she was under oxygen, it was After a three-year contract in Iraq, where he
necessary to cross four borders to reach managed the security of NGOs involved in the
Bordeaux - the trip lasted a week,” explains reconstruction of the country, this personnel
the ALGIZ founder, whose staff evacuate protection expert decided to return to Monaco
99% women and children. Men between the in 2007 and set up ALGIZ Security, the name
ages of 18 and 60 are no longer allowed to of which is inspired by a Germanic rune
leave Ukraine since a state of emergency was which means ‘protection by spirit’ (and not
declared in the country. by force). «We wanted to get away from the
cliché of the nightclub bodybuilder security
Essential local network guard. I wanted to provide a structured
ALGIZ benefits from an on-site network of service. Any mission begins with an audit of
agents and NGOs on the ground. “Since needs and identification and anticipation of
2015, we have established close ties with threats and flaws.” And the timing was right:
local partners, former soldiers who now have “With the outbreak of terrorism and risks on
security companies. They have knowledge all fronts as seen in the international news,
of the terrain and know how to concoct the security-related demands have exploded.”
best routes.” Change of itinerary in the event Death threats, establishment of a subsidiary
of a bombardment or closure of a petrol in a country at risk, terrorist attacks: ALGIZ
station, car/driver problem, having to drive has notably intervened for Monégasque
day and night, difficulty in finding a doctor in companies in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso,
a country at war who will up sticks in three Mali, Somaliland, Senegal and Iraq, amongst
days: “In times of war, you have to constantly others. Today, the group has 200 employees
adapt. Danger is everywhere,” notes this (including 20 in Monaco), is worth €4 million
former legionnaire, according to whom travel in turnover and intends to develop further. Its
time is sometimes multiplied by 10. “This premises in Menton, located on a 10-hectare
winter, we were confronted with the cold with site overlooking the town, has recently opened
temperatures falling to -10°C; now we have to a Safety Training Centre.
face the scorching heatwaves and the lack of Sascha Kunkel
water. To track operations, secure missions
in real time and make the best decisions Association of former legionnaires-turned-entrepreneurs
quickly, ALGIZ has developed an application Sascha Kunkel is also at the origin of the Interprofessional Association of Former
that geolocates its agents and customers. “It Legionnaires Entrepreneurs based in the Alpes-Maritimes and counting more than 80
allows them to issue an SOS signal in case members over five continents. “Our 80 current members do 80 different jobs. They are
of a problem 24 hours a day. The agents on professional hunters, eyewear designers, filmmakers, logisticians…The objective is to
site can then intervene immediately,” explains promote entrepreneurship and create a link or even partnerships between these former
Sascha Kunkel. soldiers and other entrepreneurs,” explains the founder of ALGIZ.
These extraction missions have a price, of

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