A 19-year-old soldier with the elite Coldstream Guard has been arrested by British military police after he returned from Ukraine, The Sun tabloid reported Sunday, citing military sources.
The soldier went AWOL some two weeks ago to join Ukraine’s so-called International Legion of Territorial Defense, which brings together foreign fighters wishing to engage Russian troops. According to the tabloid, the soldier had been “bored” with the ceremonial role of his regiment and wanted to see some real action as his promised tour to Afghanistan hadn’t happened, apparently due to the hasty withdrawal of the Western coalition forces from that country last year.
The soldier opted to return to Britain after his superiors and fellow British fighters managed to persuade him that the longer he stays AWOL the worse the potential repercussions would get for him, the newspaper reported. Three other active-duty soldiers of the Guard are reported to have gone alongside him to Ukraine are still believed to remain in the country.
“The Guardsman seems to have seen the error of his ways while he was in Ukraine and everyone is hugely relieved about that,” the source told The Sun.