LONDON (Parliament PoliticsMagazine) – Veterans and serving British soldiers who believe they can “do a couple of weeks” in Ukraine and “take some selfies” should not travel to oppose Russian aggression, according to James Heappey, Armed Forces Minister.
Mr Heappey told Sky News that if you are a serving member of the armed services and choose to join the fight in Ukraine, you are breaking the law, according to the government.
Any serving army soldiers who want to choose to go to Ukraine “would be in a lot of trouble,” the defence minister told Kay Burley.
This was not the moment for people to go there, and the Ukrainians have made it clear that if you cross the border expecting to fight, you’re in for the long haul, he told Sky News.
People who believe they can go there for a couple of weeks, take some selfies, get some Instagram images, and then return home are mistaken. The Ukrainians view the people who go to fight for them in a different light. It is not acceptable for British citizens to engage in such behaviour.
To be clear, the Army issued a statement overnight stating this, he continued. It is illegal for British servicemen to go absent without leave in the first place, but going absent without leave to participate in a foreign war is just intolerable, and risks Russia falsely accusing the UK of being belligerent in this conflict.
Service personnel who believe they are doing the right thing should reflect on the fact that they are absolutely not.
‘No good,’ would come from British soldiers going to Ukraine
As a former Army officer, Mr Heappey understands that “there’s a thing deep inside you as a soldier that makes you see TV images and makes you want to fight,” adding, “But there’s no good that comes from British service people or veterans travelling to Ukraine to be a part of this.”
The defence minister’s words appear to contradict Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who indicated last week that she would “absolutely” welcome volunteers who wanted to fight in Ukraine.
It comes after the Army acknowledged that a number of British soldiers have gone missing and may have travelled to Ukraine yesterday.
Soldiers are being ‘strongly encouraged’ to return by the Army
They were aware of a limited number of individual soldiers who have broken orders and gone away without leave, and may have travelled to Ukraine in a personal role, a spokesperson told Sky News.
They were actively and vehemently urging them to return to the United Kingdom.
Until any further notice, all Service Personnel are barred from travelling to Ukraine.
Whether the Service Person is on leave or not, this applies. Personnel who travel to Ukraine will be subject to disciplinary and administrative action.
Mariupol hospital strike was a “war crime”
Mr Heappey also said that the Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol is being treated as a war crime by the UK.
“Absolutely,” he said. That’s right, what you’re seeing on your television screens is a war crime.
Clearly, evidence must be obtained to prove that it is a war crime, and Western countries are cooperating to ensure that evidence is acquired in the most efficient manner possible so that people can be held accountable, he added.
Let’s be clear, he went on to say, what Putin was doing was not a conflict between militaries; he was currently besieging a number of Ukrainian cities. He has waged a war against the civilians of Ukraine.