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).