British Soldier Locked Up After Going AWOL to Fight in Ukraine

British Army soldier Alexander Garms-Rizzi has been locked up after going AWOL for six months to fight in the war in Ukraine, risking the UK being dragged into a war with Russia.

The 21-year-old, whose mother is Russian, was with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Estonia when he explicitly told his officers he was morally compelled to fight on the side of the Ukrainians.

Going AWOL

The unit was deployed as part of the British contingent for NATO's Operation Cabrit. The court martial heard Garms-Rizzi had been deployed to Estonia in November 2021 as part of NATO's forward presence in the region.

He went on a two-week leave in March 2022, the military court was told. When his unit managed to contact him, Garms-Rizzi admitted he had gone to join the war, which he later admitted to being the wrong thing to do.

Judge Advocate General Darren Reed called Garms-Rizzi's actions "deliberate and premeditated" given the fact he spent his childhood years in Russia and visited the country after leaving it at the age of 12. "You felt morally it was the right course of action to support the cause," he added. "You are clearly an intelligent and thoughtful young man... Those who serve do not have a choice about lawful orders they obey."

Arrest and Sentencing

Garms-Rizzi was arrested at the Port of Dover in September 2022. Police seized foreign military clothing among his possessions, including Ukrainian patches and insignia. Police also heard him saying he went over to help the Ukrainians and "couldn't just stand by", especially because he had Ukrainian childhood friends "getting killed" there.

Military prosecutor Col. Grant Davies argued calling Garms-Rizzi's actions a "potential harm to the reputation of the British armed forces" was an understatement. "He caused a security risk to himself, and to [His Majesty's] Government had he been captured," he added.

Garms-Rizzi pleaded guilty to charges of being absent without leave and contravening standing orders. He was sentenced to 12 months of military detention before being dismissed from the army.