“You can feel the explosions all over your body”: ex-US marine on the situation in Bakhmut
Created: 12/17/2022 11:34 am
By: Daniel Dillman
Andy Milburn is commander of the Mozart group and speaks in an exclusive interview about the Ukraine war and the situation at the front in the heavily contested town of Bakhmut.
Andy Milburn, her organization, the Mozart Group, is currently operating in Bachmut.
The city is one of the focal points of the war.
Just a few days ago they were there themselves.
How is the situation on site?
Western military commentators' assessment of the Donbass attempt is that Russia is pursuing a strategically irrelevant goal.
These people did not understand the political level of the war.
As Clausewitz said, war is a continuation of politics by other means.
Here the military-strategic goal recedes into the background.
All Vladimir Putin wants is to secure Donbass for himself.
There are now only three major cities left in the region.
Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk and Bakhmut.
Bachmut is coming or is now in the Russian front line.
Russia's strategy is to keep a city under heavy, continuous fire until they are sure that all Ukrainian defenders have left the area.
We've already seen this in other big cities in Donbass, and now it's happening in Bakhmut too.
You can tell how heavy the attacks are as soon as you enter the city.
You can see smoke hanging over the city, you can hear artillery shells and you can feel explosions all over your body.
My heart always started racing and I was short of breath.
I can't imagine living like that.
Luckily we only go in and out again.
Local people often do not have this choice.
How is your group protected when you go into town?
Not at all.
We drive into the city with normal vehicles.
The only protection we have is our personal gear, but it offers little protection.
We've had to learn when it's time to take cover and when we're on the edge of the effective danger zone.
It's a constant hazard, we drive with the windows open and we have to be constantly vigilant.
Andy Milburn: Head of the Mozart Group.
© Mozart Group
To person
Andy Milburn served in the US Marines for 31 years.
He spent the last ten years of his service in the Special Operations Command.
He has commanded the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq since 2016 and became Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Command Center.
This command was responsible for all special operations in the Middle East, primarily targeting the Islamic State.
Since retiring from the Army in 2019, Milburn has served as a military affairs consultant with a focus on special operations.
Today he is the leader of the Mozart group, which was founded as a counterpart to the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
What's the work like once you've made it into town?
We usually drop off humanitarian supplies at the fire station.
There is a group of very brave firefighters that we work with.
They distribute the relief supplies to the civilian population.
Some of them have already been wounded, some have lost their lives, but the group carries on anyway.
It's incredibly bold and incredibly classy.
How is this continuing?
We're going to the most dangerous part of the city, the eastern quarters.
This part can only be reached via a pontoon bridge because the actual bridge was destroyed.
As soon as you reach the eastern part of the city, you are almost directly on the battlefield.
The last time we were there three days ago, machine gun fire could be heard from three directions.
Russian soldiers are already in this area, fighting at short range, drone strikes and artillery strikes.
If it's cloudy or raining, that gives us some protection from the drones.
But we have to get in there one way or the other, so we'll drive even if the sky is clear.
What is your destination in the east of the city?
There are still civilians there who we are providing with relief supplies.
We try to persuade them to come, but many are afraid to do so.
It's a poignant sight to see entire families trying to just move on.
Every time these people leave their basements to fetch water, they risk being killed.
So we bring them water.
Along with warmth, fire, candles, light and food, water is what is most needed.
We've developed such a close relationship with these people that every time we want to just pull them in the car to drive them out of this hell, but of course we can't do that.
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The Hell of Bachmut: It's the worst in the east of the city
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The Mozart group training in the Ukraine.
(Archive image) © JUAN BARRETO/AFP
Ukraine war in Bakhmut: ex-US marine cannot get used to "tragedies of these people"
What does it do to you, to see these people without being able to take them away from there?
It's heartbreaking.
People always welcome us warmly and offer us soup.
I have seen many theaters of war.
I witnessed the Battle of Fallujah when we fought directly against Al Qaeda in urban combat.
So I'm not unfamiliar with this kind of fear.
But here it is different.
It feels like a bad place.
No matter how many times you do this, you don't get used to the tragedies of these people.
It's terrible to know that most of these people will die, including the children.
This emotional burden is heavy on the shoulders of our people.
(Lucas Maier)
Editor's note:
This is the second part of the exclusive IPPEN.MEDIA interview with Andy Milburn from the so-called Mozart group.
Here you can find the first part of the interview about the Ukraine war, the training of Ukrainian soldiers and support from the West.