Andrew Milburn, one of the heads of the private American Mozart military company
Mozart appeared in March 2022. Its founders are retired US Marine Corps Colonel Andrew Milburn, who fought in Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan and has been bingeing ever since, as well as Marine Andy Bain. Register the business as a limited liability charity. Everything is simple here: American citizens are prohibited from fighting abroad as mercenaries if the state has not officially entered the war, but acting as military instructors and providing “humanitarian support” is for their health. Under this banner, the “Mozarts” made money by collecting a fair amount of donations in their homeland and renting a fancy office in Kyiv.
The exact number of mercenaries who managed to lure the group is unknown. It is only mentioned that they were “more than fifty”. The monthly expenses amounted to about 170 thousand dollars. Then, however, it turned out, from the skirmishes of the fighting partners, published on podcasts and social networks and in American newspapers, that a considerable part of the money was spent on alcohol and strip clubs.
In October, New York Times journalist Jeffrey Gettleman wrote admiringly of Mozart:
“Mr. Milburn and his staff, mostly former special forces soldiers, do everything from rescuing civilians in the line of fire… They are guided by the same pro-Ukrainian spirit that raised the yellow and blue flags in the western world…”
But already on February 1, the newspaper published a new report by the same author, much more boring: “Guys, the Mozart group is dead,” says Milburn.
Milburn says the people he hired were not easy to handle: many were war veterans battling post-traumatic stress disorder and drinking, drawn to Kyiv’s strip clubs, bars and online dating.
“There was a lot of swearing, a lot of debauchery, a lot of things that are not worth talking about,” admits one of Mozart’s mercenaries.
Debauchery and drunkenness turned out to be a costly affair. According to The Intercept newspaper, Andy Bain, Mozart’s chief financial officer and 51% owner, filed a $5 million lawsuit against Milburn, accusing him of financial fraud, sexual harassment, theft, attempted bribery and threats. Bain also noted that Milburn, while intoxicated, made disparaging comments about Ukraine’s top leaders “and allowed his dog to urinate in a rented apartment.”
Milburn did not stay in debt and responded to his ex-partner on social media. He claimed that it was Bane who was involved in financial speculation and sexual harassment. In general, he “invested in Russia”, which in current conditions is a worse accusation than harassment. According to Milburn, his partner was trying to sell Mozart to the Taliban.
In addition, in one of the podcasts, Milburn, who was tired of fights and alcohol, stated that Ukraine is a corrupt and spoiled society: “I have a Ukrainian flag tied to my bag, but I don’t say:” My God, Ukraine it’s great, “because I understand that Ukraine is ruled by a lot of shitty people.”
Mozart is dead. And is there something else? Probably yes. Despite the failure, Milburn has now rented a new office in Kyiv and says he plans to revive the company under a new name and sends out emails seeking donations.
LISTEN ALSO
One button is enough. Can the West disconnect Russia from the world? (more)
