UK armed forces head says it’s “unlawful and unhelpful” for Britons to fight in Ukraine
Mar 6, 2022: The head of UK’s armed forces, Admiral Tony Radakin, said on Sunday that it was “unlawful and unhelpful” for Britons to go to Ukraine and fight Russia.
His comments contradicted British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said she supported anyone who wanted to volunteer and follow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for foreign fighters to come to Ukraine saying last week that she would “absolutely” support Britons wanting to go to Ukraine to fight, and an unknown number have already gone.
“We are very clear that starting to move towards Ukraine is illegal and unhelpful to the British military and to the British population,” Radakin, the chief of defense staff, told BBC television.
“Support from the UK, support in whatever way you can. But this isn’t really something that you want to rush to, in terms of the sound of gunfire.”
Radakin further added, “I think she was reflecting… that we can all understand that sentiment, and that sentiment needs to be channelled into support for Ukraine, but we’re saying, as professional military people, that actually that is not necessarily the sensible thing to be doing.”
Zelenskyy has urged foreigners to turn to Ukrainian embassies around the world to sign up for an “international brigade” of volunteers to help fight the invading Russian forces. He called on foreigners with previous combat experience to come to the aid of their country, which has been under Russian military attack from three sides since February 24.
The UK Foreign Office opposes all travel to Ukraine and advises all Britons to leave the country if it is safe to do so.
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