British soldiers who go Awol to join fight will face prosecution

Defence Secretary issues stark warning after reports of UK service personnel heading for Ukraine

BRITISH troops who go absent without leave to fight in Ukraine will face prosecution upon their return, the Defence Secretary has warned.

Ben Wallace told the House of Commons yesterday that it was illegal for members of the Armed Forces to go to the war-ravaged nation against orders.

The Army last night admitted that it was “aware of a small number of individual soldiers who have disobeyed orders and gone absent without leave, and may have travelled to Ukraine in a personal capacity”.

Issuing a plea for them to abandon their endeavours, an Army spokesman added: “We are actively and strongly encouraging them to return to the UK.”

A 19-year-old Coldstream Guardsman is among those who have gone Awol to team up with the Ukrainians, it was first reported by The Sun.

The teenager, whom The Daily Telegraph has agreed not to name because of concerns about his personal security, departed his Windsor barracks last week and left a note for his parents.

His family were too upset to comment when approached last night.

The Royal Military Police is trying to track the soldier’s whereabouts to intercept him amid concern that he could be exploited by Russian propaganda to claim the UK has joined the war.

The confirmed total of British troops who have gone Awol is thought to be fewer than four but defence chiefs are concerned that the real number could be higher because there is a lag in the Forces’ ability to detect the absence of reservists and troops on leave.

Mr Wallace told MPS that all such service members “will be breaking the law and they will be prosecuted when they return for going Awol or deserting”.

He added that the Government would “strongly discourage” British civilians from making the journey too.

The son of Conservative MP Helen Grant is among those civilians. Ben Grant, 30, who previously served as a commando in the Royal Marines, told reporters in Lviv that he had felt compelled to fight after seeing a family bombed inside their home.

He said he had not informed his mother of his plan in advance.

Mr Wallace warned that when Britons joined Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State in the Middle East in recent years, “it did not end well” for them.

He said: “It is also the case, as a number of these people are now discovering, that the Ukrainians are very clear in saying, ‘You turn up, you are in it for the whole game. You are not in it for a selfie and six weeks. You are in it for real’.

“I think we have seen already some people at the border decide that may not be the right option to follow.”

It is feared that Moscow could use UK troops in Ukraine, even if unauthorised, to assert that Britain has become an active participant in the war

A defence source said: “Clearly we wouldn’t want to give any succour to Russian propaganda and we are not at war with Russia. We do not want any of our soldiers going to Ukraine.”

It is claimed that a number of British soldiers who have expressed their intention to travel have been identified and have been dissuaded.

Last week, Lt Gen James Swift, in charge of the Army’s people policies and procedures, issued a directive down the chain of command to all personnel against going to Ukraine.

This was done “in concert” with the discovery of the teenage guardsman’s departure, it is understood.

Last month, Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, expressed her support for UK volunteers heading to fight for Kyiv.

Yesterday, she backtracked, insisting: “The travel advice from the UK is not to go to Ukraine … there are better ways of helping the efforts in Ukraine, namely donating to the [aid] appeal.”

Ms Truss, in America to meet her US counterpart Antony Blinken, said her previous remarks had meant only to express her support for the Ukrainian cause.

Adm Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, had issued a rebuke to Ms Truss, declaring: “We’ve been very clear that it’s unlawful as well as unhelpful for UK military and for the UK population to start going towards Ukraine in that sense.”