More than 150 SAS veterans who fought in Afghanistan are now on their way to Ukraine to battle Putin’s forces – after Army chiefs banned serving UK soldiers from the warzone.
Whitehall officials are scrambling to determine the Government’s police after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she would support British nationals who chose to fight alongside Ukrainian forces against the Russian invasion on Sunday.
Her comments went against Foreign Office travel advice, while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and a No 10 spokesman also both appeared to contradict Ms Truss yesterday.
It comes as British soldiers were yesterday banned from going to Ukraine to join the fight against Russia.
Hundreds of troops have expressed interest in answering a request from Kyiv for international volunteers. But commanders have told them not to sign up.
They cannot stop retired personnel from travelling to eastern Europe, but full-time and reserve troops have received a stern warning not to take part in the conflict.
One brigadier said he heard talk that some soldiers were considering going Awol to join the fight, The Times reports.
But a post on the Army’s internal messaging service read: ‘There has been some recent media coverage relating to foreigners being welcomed into Ukraine to help fight against Russia.
‘To be clear, as members of the British Army, you are not authorised to travel to Ukraine to support the ongoing conflict against Russia in any form, whether you are on leave or not.
‘Please remain professional and focused on your duty and your team.’
However, a military source has said that 150 of former paratroopers were on their way to Poland.
A Ukrainian serviceman fires an NLAW anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Donetsk region earlier this month
Ukrainian Military Forces walk in the small town of Sievierodonetsk, Lugansk Oblast, on Sunday
A serviceman of pro-Russian militia stands next to a house that caught fire after shelling on Monday
Shaun Pinner, 48, (pictured) is one of many UK nationals who have travelled to Ukraine to fight
Shane, 34, a former sniper with the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, said Ms Truss’ comments on Sunday were ‘the green light’
Ukraine’s president Volodomyr Zelensky said he was forming his country’s own foreign legion to fight Russia.
Several thousand people have volunteered to join the force, deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said yesterday.
Military surplus stores have been overrun with Ukrainian expats sourcing gear for recruits heading to join the fight.
At the Ukrainian embassy in London yesterday, one 60-year-old English ex-soldier, who did not give his name, vowed to join the fight.
He told Sky News: ‘I used to be in the TA so I’ve got a lot of first aid training so I thought it would be a good idea to come and do something. I can get on a flight tomorrow.
‘I’m 60 which means I’m just about within the age range they’ll accept.’
Asked if he would put his life on the line, he said: ‘Well somebody has to.’
Shaun Pinner, 48, an ex-soldier with a Ukrainian wife who is already on the front lines, and Antony Zamparelli, a father-of-seven who served in the Army but has never been in a conflict, are among those from the UK to have said they will fight.
But Mr Wallace insisted yesterday: ‘Unless you are properly trained, unless you are an experienced member of the armed forces, there are better ways for you to contribute to the security of Ukraine.’
Oleksander Biletsky, a foreign ministry adviser, says weapons were being distributed to anyone who wanted to fight for Ukraine.
He told British soldiers it was ‘really cool [of you]’ to support his country.
It comes amid concern that over whether those who decide to travel to Ukraine will be charged with terrorism offences if they return.
During the Syrian civil war in 2014, the Crown Prosecution Service warned those going out to fight that they could be committing an offence.
Its guidance adds that Britons who travel overseas to participate in fighting ‘may be caught by the provisions of section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000’.
