Nathan Gill, former Brexit Party MEP and leader of Reform UK Wales, plead guilty to eight counts of bribery for accepting payments from Oleh Voloshyn, a Ukrainian politician tied to Russian intelligence, to promote pro-Kremlin narratives in the European Parliament between 2018–2019.
Investigators uncovered contracts and messages proving the payments after Gill was detained at Manchester Airport in 2021. Gill was sentenced to prison in November 2025 for 10.5 years on 8 counts of bribery by a Russian agent. Here is a timeline from 2010 to 2025 of his actions and the wider context of Putin, Ukraine and Brexit.
The case is significant because it shows that Russian-linked money reached the political orbit of Nigel Farage during the height of the Brexit movement. Gill was a close ally of Farage, following him from UKIP to the Brexit Party, the same period he was paid to echo Moscow’s messaging on Ukraine and the West.
Despite evidence of his senior role as Reform UK’s Welsh leader, party figures such as Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Zui Yusuf have tried to distance themselves, though photos and records contradict their claims.
Farage himself denies any wrongdoing or Russian funding but has long been criticised for appearing on RT, praising Putin, and repeating Kremlin-aligned narratives about NATO and Western provocation related to the Ukrainian war.
Politically, the affair has provoked national security concerns, with the Defence Secretary accusing Reform UK of being soft on Russia. Welsh Labour has demanded inquiries, especially as Reform’s current candidate once worked for Gill.
Go here to find out more details about the Gill Russia bribes scandal and its link to Farage and RUK.
Click on the links below to jump to the relevant sections:
- Why this scandal is politically dangerous for Farage
- What Nathan Gill has admitted
- Farage and Gill close relationship – “thick as thieves”
- Farage/Tice/Yusuf attempted to distance themselves from Gill
- Farage made similar speeches as Gill in relation to Russia and Ukraine
- The Russian Network and Reform UK
- Why Farage claims aren’t credible
- Questions Farage needs to answer
- Farage attempts to distract from Gill scandal
- Labour’s response to the Gill scandal
Why this scandal is politically dangerous for Farage
By denying even knowing Gill, Farage signals fear of serious political or legal danger. This extreme distancing suggests guilt or, at minimum, panic about perceived association.
Nathan Gill’s bribery conviction is more than a personal scandal, it offers concrete evidence that Russian-linked money penetrated Farage’s inner circle at the very moment the Brexit Party was rising to prominence.
While no direct link to Farage has been proven, the proximity, timing, and mirrored narratives are impossible to ignore. Reform UK can try to distance itself, but the record shows that Gill’s political platform was literally funded by Kremlin interests.
This is not an isolated act of corruption, it is a cautionary tale about how movements built on grievance, populism, and distrust can become gateways for foreign influence.
Farage may deny any ties to Moscow, but through Nathan Gill, he stood shoulder to shoulder with someone who was bought by it.
(https://youtu.be/5o7vNuROrfk?si=Sis51xft2Ry8gPHW)
(https://searchlightmagazine.com/2025/10/reforms-russian-asset-the-kremlin-shadow-over-nigel-farage/)
Gill’s Barrister attempted to legitimise Gill pro-Russian statements
We can see the lengths Farage and Reform UK will go to to legitimise their political project, indicating the threat the Gill scandal poses to the party.
At Nathan Gill’s 21 November sentencing for taking Russian bribes, his barrister, Peter Wright KC, framed Gill’s actions using Russian propaganda, portraying him as motivated by “humanitarian concern” for Russian-speakers in Donbas rather than corruption. Wright argued Gill acted alone, implicitly shielding Nigel Farage, and suggested his misconduct was unintentional, emphasizing shame only over bribery, not pro-Kremlin politics. The defence echoed Kremlin narratives framing the Ukraine conflict as internal linguistic tension, contradicting the judge’s earlier ruling that eastern Ukraine was under Russian occupation. The strategy appeared aimed less at legal mitigation and more at legitimizing the broader political project surrounding Gill, including Farage by disconnecting Gill’s corruption from his pro-Russian politics.
What Nathan Gill has admitted
Nathan Gill, former UKIP and Reform UK MEP and close Farage ally, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery for taking payments from Oleh Voloshyn, a pro-Russian Ukrainian MP tied to Viktor Medvedchuk and the Kremlin. Between 2018 and 2019, Gill accepted money to promote pro-Russian narratives in the European Parliament, host Medvedchuk’s “peace plan,” and echo Kremlin talking points on Ukraine. Evidence came from WhatsApp messages seized in a 2021 airport search. Despite Reform figures claiming Gill was barely known, reporting shows he was one of Farage’s closest associates for nearly a decade, raising questions about who knew what and when.
This article outlines how and why Gill became a Russia agent.
Farage and Gill’s close relationship
Nathan Gill was not a marginal figure in Nigel Farage’s world but one of his closest allies across UKIP, the Brexit Party and Reform UK. They campaigned together for years, with Farage calling Gill “honest as the day is long” and relying on him as one of his most trusted MEPs. Insiders described them as “thick as thieves” and Gill following Farage from UKIP → Brexit Party → Reform UK, often working in adjacent offices and appearing publicly together. It is “inconceivable” Farage was unaware of Gill’s multiple Russia-linked trips during 2018–19, the very period Gill was taking illicit payments to push Kremlin narratives in the European Parliament. Despite Farage’s later claims of surprise, evidence shows a long, close, politically aligned relationship.
Farage/Tice/Yusuf attempted to distance themselves from Gill
- Nigel Farage labeled Nathan Gill, ex-Reform UK Wales leader, a “bad apple” after Gill admitted taking eight counts of bribery to promote pro-Russian narratives while an MEP.
- Farage claimed he was “shocked” and described Gill as a devout Christian and honest, emphasizing that any party can unknowingly harbour rogue individuals.
- Reform UK figures, including Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice, initially denied knowing Gill, despite photographic evidence of Gill as Welsh leader in 2021.
Farage made similar speeches as Gill in relation to Russia and Ukraine
Farage and Gill’s similar speeches in 2014:
- On 16 September 2014, Nigel Farage and Nathan Gill delivered European Parliament speeches that echoed very similar pro-Kremlin talking points.
- After reviewing Gill’s speech, the commentator argues that the overlap appears unlikely to be accidental. They suggest the similarity could indicate some form of coordination, either that Farage influenced Gill’s remarks or that both men were drawing from the same pro-Russian sources.
- Both politicians referred to Ukraine as “the Ukraine,” a term often used in narratives that undermine Ukrainian sovereignty. They also used the phrase “poking the Russian bear” and repeated Russian claims about NATO and EU expansion.
- In addition, both framed “Muslim extremism” as the primary global threat, an argument widely used in Russian messaging at the time to divert attention from Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and its broader hybrid warfare tactics, which the commentator notes are still echoed by parts of the far right today.
- Farage has since said he barely knew Gill. The commentator argues that if this is accurate, the similarity in their speeches could suggest both were exposed to the same pro-Russian messaging. They describe this as strong circumstantial evidence of possible influence—though not proof—of Farage aligning with Kremlin narratives.
(Nick Reeves https://bsky.app/profile/nickreeves.bsky.social/post/3m257puqgxk2w)
The Russian Network and Reform UK
See this page on the transnational network of Russia influence to interfere in UK politics (link to page Transnational network of Russian influence that has sought to destabilize democracies in Ukraine, the US, and the UK)
The Russia network targeting Gill:
- Nathan Gill’s bribery case involved payments from Oleh Voloshyn, a Ukrainian politician sanctioned by the UK, US and Canada for acting as a Kremlin agent and ally of Viktor Medvedchuk.
- Voloshyn’s wife, Nadia Borodin (Borodi/Sass), was a presenter on Medvedchuk’s pro-Russian TV channels Channel 112 and NewsOne.
- Six days after receiving his first bribe, Gill delivered a speech in the European Parliament defending those same channels against closure for spreading Russian disinformation.
- Gill was filmed and interviewed by Borodin on that day outside the EU Parliament media wall.
- Gill used other UKIP MEPs as cover for his pro Russia activities
- Analysts argue Gill was part of a wider Kremlin influence network, linking UK populist politics with Russian intelligence figures such as Medvedchuk and Konstantin Kilimnik.
- The case highlights broader concerns about Russian influence around Brexit, Reform UK, and far-right European politics.
Russia approach methods
- Russia would have profiled sympathetic MEPs, especially far-right, pro-Putin politicians critical of Western liberal democracy.
- Gill fit this profile, and so does Farage.
- Therefore, it’s implausible that Farage was not approached in similar fashion.
(https://youtu.be/5o7vNuROrfk?si=Sis51xft2Ry8gPHW )
Farage connections to this Russia network
- Photographs show Nigel Farage with Borodin at the Parliament on what appears to be the same day, inside Gill’s Strasbourg office.
- Farage now calls Gill a “bad apple” and claims he was unaware of Gill’s pro-Russia activities.
- Former colleagues say the two were very close, sharing adjacent offices and working together across UKIP, the Brexit Party and Reform UK.
- Insiders call Farage’s claim of ignorance “inconceivable,” noting Gill frequently pushed colleagues toward Russia-friendly events featuring individuals “close to Putin.”
Why Farage claims aren’t credible
It is conceivable that Russia bribed Gill but never approached Farage, given his pro-Putin comments and work with Russia Today (RT).
- Nathan Gill delivered a pro-Kremlin speech shortly after he began receiving bribes from Oleh Voloshyn, a sanctioned Russian-aligned figure.
- Photographs from the same day show Nigel Farage with Borodin outside the European Parliament, placing him near Gill’s Kremlin-linked network while pro-Russian messaging was being promoted.
- Insider accounts and photos reportedly place Farage inside Gill’s Strasbourg office in mid-December 2018, shortly after Gill began receiving payments.
- Given Farage’s tight control over UKIP/Brexit Party MEPs and his personal closeness to Gill, commentators say it is unlikely he was unaware of Gill’s speeches, contacts, or financial links to pro-Kremlin figures.
- There is no public evidence that Farage received bribes himself, but his appearances on Kremlin-linked media and his Russia-friendly public positions continue to raise questions among critics.
- Gill later joined the editorial board of Viktor Medvedchuk’s media empire and hosted a 2019 roundtable with Medvedchuk to promote a “peace plan” later backed by Putin.
- Observers view Farage’s distancing from Gill as strategic rather than credible, given documented overlap with Gill’s network.
- Gill’s conviction is seen by critics as part of a broader pattern suggesting Russian influence reached into parts of Western populist politics, warranting further scrutiny of those around him.
Questions Farage needs to answer
We have established that Farage made similar pro-Russia speeches as Gill at the same time. If Russia bribed some UKIP MEPs, they likely targeted others, including Farage.
Who introduced Gill to the Russian spies?
Gill would have been an unlikely primary target for the Russian deep state. That raises the fascinating question: who was it who introduced the traitor to the spy? Someone now in the Reform UK party? Was it even Farage himself?
(https://www.thenerve.news/p/john-sweeney-nigel-farage-nathan-gill-clacton-voloshyn-reform-old-bailey)
Was Farage approached?
Based on this there are three possibilities:
- Russia never approached Farage (unlikely, given Gill’s role).
- Farage was offered bribes but turned them down and failed to report it.
- Farage accepted bribes himself.
If Gill was acting in ways that advanced the Kremlin’s interests, the real question becomes: what did Farage know, and when did he know it?
The responsibility to answer questions with on Farage:
- Was Farage ever contacted, directly or indirectly, by Russian officials or intermediaries offering money or political support? Ask “When Russia approached you, Nigel, what did you do about it?”
- If he was approached, how did he respond? Did he report it, as any public figure is expected to or did he keep it quiet?
- Was he aware of Gill’s activities: the foreign trips, the lobbying efforts, the Russia-aligned messaging — and if so, why did none of these raise alarms?
- Did any payments, benefits, or influence flow through structures Farage controlled or from which he profited?
- And why were Farage and Gill so closely connected at the very time in 2018 that Gill was advancing Kremlin narratives on Ukraine?
These questions are not trivial. They go directly to national security. At present, a man who could become Britain’s next Prime Minister has yet to give a full, transparent account of any potential intersections with a hostile foreign state.
Serious concerns remain unanswered about whether Nigel Farage had illicit links — ideological or financial — with actors aligned to Vladimir Putin. These issues cut to the heart of the health of our democracy.
And while Farage dismisses scrutiny, the consequences are tangible: disinformation spreads, trust erodes, and unaccountable money continues to seep into political life.
The solution is not to imitate Farage’s tactics, as Labour and the Conservatives have too often attempted. The solution is to repair our democratic system so it is robust enough to resist this kind of interference.
Failure of journalists
Media and opposition failures:
- Journalists and politicians are focusing on trivialities (like photos) instead of asking substantive questions about Russian influence.
- Farage survives politically because media and opponents let him set the agenda, focusing on topics he prefers (like immigration or culture wars).
Journalists and politiciansneed to stop letting Farage control the narrative and start asking the uncomfortable, consequential question.
Farage attempts to distract from Gill scandal
Farage benefits from media focus on unrelated topics, such as the Labour government in crisis or Chinese espionage that divert attention from questions about Russian bribery.
Nigel Farage’s “woke tampons” outrage distraction
Nigel Farage’s outrage over “woke vegan tampons” in men’s toilets was not a real scandal but a distraction tactic. Vegan tampons are simply products not tested on animals, and most are already vegan. The timing coincided with a far more serious issue: Farage’s former ally Nathan Gill admitting he took Russian bribes while both men delivered pro-Kremlin statements as MEPs. The episode fits the classic “dead cat” strategy, where politicians spark trivial culture-war outrage to divert attention from damaging news. Similar tactics were used by Trump and Boris Johnson. The takeaway: when politicians push absurd controversies, look for what they’re trying to hide.
Labour’s response to the Gill scandal
Labour’s shift in strategy:
- Until recently, Labour avoided attacking Reform UK directly, fearing it might alienate overlapping voters.
- But that’s changing with Labour leaders and backbenchers are now openly challenging Farage and linking him to the Russian bribery scandal.
- A Labour MP raised the issue in Prime Minister’s Questions, highlighting the conviction of Reform UK’s Welsh leader and introducing Labour’s Elections Bill to prevent foreign interference.
STOP REFORM UK 