While Matt covered a plethora of topics in the blog, we have kept it primarily to his writing. This is one exception. Matt would have been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian fight to expel the Russian Invasion. We have been supporting many organizations to support Ukraine but The Mozart Group is one that Matt would have particularly put his weight behind. Run by a former Marine, they are providing training and support where the Ukrainians need it most. See more about the Mozart Group here.
We hope you can join us in supporting The Mozart Group in supporting the Ukrainian front line. Oorah!
Here’s a recent update from the founder of the group:
Hello everyone,
A quick note to update you on what the Mozart Group has been up to over the last month or so.Since early June we have had a team working in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine — supporting vulnerable civilians in areas in the path of the Russians, and under bombardment.
Most people have left these areas — but some remain, among them several families. We offer these people the opportunity to leave — and for those who decide to remain in their cellars without access to food, medicine or running water, we distribute what they need. A recent article about this aspect of our mission appeared recently in the Daily Telegraph.
There is a common misunderstanding held among many Ukrainians, to include some local government officials , that the people of the Donbas are staying in place because of pro-Russian sympathies. From our observations, nothing could be further from the truth. The people in these areas think of themselves as Ukrainian, but are not confident in their government’s ability to support them away from their homes. Although there are networks available to help these people and we see it as an important part of our role to get this message to them. In addition to providing substance to these families, we offer a future that doesn’t involve living in a cellar without food or water under constant artillery fire.
Meanwhile a second team (we will have three by mid August) focuses on training units on the front line. The training typically involves a 5 day schedule — all the time that commanders can spare before returning units to the front. This mission was featured by the Guardian in a recent article.
The training piece is our core mission — and one that we are able to execute with unparalleled efficiency. By way of example — one team can train a company in 5 days. The average Ukrainian soldier, is unlikely to have been through any kind of previous training, nor even had the opportunity to fire his weapon. The training that we offer units is not simply a band aid — it is literally transformative. A well designed, well executed training program — even one only 5 days long — has proven to have an exponential effect on the proficiency and confidence of those soldiers undergoing training. The instruction is designed so that the average individual can keep up while instilling the habits of thought and action that lead not just to survival but dominance in combat. When taught well, the drills designed to build muscle memory work surprisingly well. For instance, a soldier who misses a single block of instruction on — for instance — weapons manipulation — will find himself far behind his peers.
During a recent trip to the font line, one of our training teams were shown a Russian trench line that had recently been taken by a unit that had undergone our training.
“We did it just like you taught us,” the unit commander beamed. Validation such as this is priceless.
Thanks to your generous donations the organization has been able to expand to run two training teams and an extract team at the same time. In real terms, what this means is that at any given time, the Mozart Group has one team delivering critically needed supplies to civilians on the front line and evacuating those who want to leave, while two teams of instructors train a battalion each of Ukrainian soldiers already on the front line, and in desperate need of basic military skills.Although Ukraine has dropped off the front page news, now is a critical time for Ukraine and the cause of freedom. As the Russians step up their offensive in the South East, the Mozart Group continues to get civilians out of harm’s way, while bolstering the ability of Ukrainian units to fight back. We can only continue to do these things with your support. One thing I can assure you — your donation will be used to good effect. We have very few overheads, and know how to stretch a penny to achieve remarkable results. For instance:One 10 man training team with 3 vehicles and support costs up to $100,000 a month. The team can execute 4-5 training cycles of 70 soldiers each for 315 personnel trained in one month. This works out as $315 per soldier, 25,000 per company and 120,000 per battalion. Needless to say, those figures bear no comparison to typical US military training costs. — but the level of instuction is among the best that I have ever seen over 31 years of service. The bottom line is that the training we offer gives the soldiers who receive it a better shot at survival — and a greater ability to accomplish their mission of defeating the Russian invader.The return on investment for extraction is hard to quantify in real terms — how do you do a cost estimate for human life? — but so far it has averaged $ 225 to extract one person, $900 a family of 4.
The immediate limiting factor is not so much cost as risk. The team has a very clear eyed view of the risks involved in this mission — there are no reckless adventurers in the Mozart Group — but considers them well worth the satisfaction of saving lives. We welcome the opporutnity of saving more, and hope that you will support us in doing so.My best wishes and gratitude to you all,Andy Milburn