British soldier gets arrested for Ukrainian adventure as foreign mercenary
British military police have arrested a 19-year-old soldier from the
elite Coldstream Guard after returning from Ukraine, the tabloid The Sun
reported on Sunday, referring to military sources.
The soldier
went AWOL about two weeks ago to join the so-called International Legion
of Territorial Defence in Ukraine, which brings together foreign
fighters who are trying to join Russian troops. According to the
tabloid, the soldier was "tired" of the ceremonial role of his regime
and wanted to see real action because his promised trip to Afghanistan
did not materialize, probably due to the hasty withdrawal of coalition
forces in the West.
The soldier decided to return
to Britain after his superiors and other British fighters were able to
convince him that the longer AWOL remained, the worse the possible
impact on him, the newspaper said. He would be accompanied to Ukraine by
three other active guard soldiers who were likely to remain in the
country. "The guardsman seemed to have seen a mistake in his methods
when he was in Ukraine, and everyone was very excited about it," a
source told The Sun.
"He contacted his commando,
which told him he had to return. He knew he would be in trouble, but he
was also told uncertainly that it would be even worse if he stayed there
for a long time," the source added.
It is believed that the
guard was detained by the military police for questioning immediately
after landing on British soil. Now he may face imprisonment for leaving.
Earlier this month, the British Ministry of Defence clearly warned
active troops to fight alone in Ukraine.
"All service personnel
are prohibited from travelling to Ukraine until further notice. This
applies regardless of whether the service staff is on holiday or not.
Staff travelling to Ukraine will face disciplinary and administrative
consequences," a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said at the time.
(Source - RT).
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