Ukrainian troops training with the Mozart Group

The CEO and co-founder of the Mozart group, Andrew Milburn, admitted that the group is a private military company training Ukrainian soldiers to kill Russians, despite its alleged humanitarian mission in Ukraine, RT reported on Saturday.

The Mozart Group, founded in March by US residents Andrew Milburn and Andrew Bain, has been regarded as the Western equivalent to the Wagner Group - the Russian private military group fighting Ukrainian forces in the Donbass city of Bakhmut.

During an interview for RT’s Afshin Rattansi on Saturday’s episode of Going Underground, Milburn, a former US Marine Corps commander, avoided any comparisons between Mozart and Wagner, claiming that his group’s mission is "purely humanitarian", mostly supplying and evacuating residents living close to the fighting lines.

At the same time, the Mozart group's other mission is to train Ukrainian soldiers, which often takes place "very close to the front line," he pointed out.

"Sadly in this war – in any war actually – the more of the adversary you take off the playing field, or kill, the less the danger is to your own guys," he told RT.

"Why do we train guys? It isn’t simply to defend themselves, it’s to kill the enemy," Milburn made clear.

Milburn said that "everything we’re doing is exactly within the parameters of NATO policy," indicating that "the West is providing Ukraine with lethal weapons that kill Russians. Why are they doing that? It’s to kill Russians."

"When we train soldiers that is their goal. It’s why we teach them how to operate their weapons," he continued.

It is noteworthy that Milburn has previously called for "funding from Western governments," asking Newsweek last month, "What the hell is stopping the US, or UK, or European Union governments from reaching out and saying 'Let us help you?'"

Last week, The Intercept reported that Mozart has deployed on the frontlines in Ukraine three teams of US veterans, each team accumulating nearly $100,000 of expenses monthly, as per Milburn.

According to RT, "Milburn is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with Bain, who accused the retired commander of violating US arms trafficking regulations and seeking to expand Mozart’s training operations into Armenia."

"The suit also accused Milburn of embezzling money donated to the organization, orchestrating the burglary of humanitarian supplies in Ukraine, sexually harassing a female co-worker, and bribing Ukrainian military leaders," the news website noted.

In return, Milburn accused Bain of being "heavily invested in Russia."