Former European Parliament member and ex-leader of the Reform UK party in Wales, Nathan Gill, has admitted his involvement in receiving funds to lobby for Russian interests on the European stage. This information was reported by Reuters and Deutsche Welle.
The 52-year-old politician pleaded guilty to eight counts related to corruption. According to court data, he received payments between January 2018 and July 2019. Gill confirmed that the money was transferred to him for public speeches in support of pro-Russian political forces, which occurred against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Additionally, he introduced items beneficial to his clients into the European Parliament's agenda and coordinated events in their interests.
Deutsche Welle specifies that a British court had previously identified the source of funding as Oleg Voloshyn. This former Ukrainian politician served as a member of the Verkhovna Rada from 2019 to 2022 representing the Opposition Platform — For Life party, which is linked to Viktor Medvedchuk, whom the press refers to as Vladimir Putin's godfather. Voloshyn is also associated with German politician Maximilian Krah, a member of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party.