Putin was ‘impressed’ after Nathan Gill received MEPs to seem on pro-Kremlin TV channel

Vladimir Putin was said to have been personally ‘impressed’ after a disgraced former Reform UK figure managed to line up a series of British MEPs to appear on a pro-Kremlin television station, according to WhatsApp messages exposed in court.

Nathan Gill, 52, was jailed for more than ten years on Friday after admitting he accepted up to £40,000 in bribes from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian agent, to push Moscow‘s interests inside the European Parliament.

The messages show Voloshyn praising Gill for his apparent influence, claiming a ‘person’ close to Viktor Medvedchuk, a key Putin ally, had been wowed by the stunt. Investigators believe the individual referenced was Putin himself.

Prosecutors revealed that Gill recruited at least seven pro-Brexit MEPs to appear on 112 Ukraine, a channel pushing a pro-Moscow line. There is no suggestion any of these MEPs were paid or knew Gill was secretly taking bribes.

Voloshyn, 44, is said to have approached Gill in the months leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was operating on behalf of Medvedchuk, the wealthy Ukrainian opposition figure and longtime Putin associate.

Gill had first entered the European Parliament with Ukip in 2014 before defecting to Nigel Farage‘s Brexit Party, which later became Reform. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Farage.

‘If you get three or four, I will request and secure at least 5k for you’

On March 22, 2019, Voloshyn asked Gill to round up some ‘friendly MEPs’ for interviews about the importance of maintaining Russian gas supplies to Western Europe and rebuilding ‘trust and partnership between Kyiv and Moscow’.

He added: ‘If you get three or four [MEPs], I will request and secure at least 5k for you.’

Prosecutors say Gill duly secured five interviews — including three from British politicians: Jonathan Bullock, former Ukip energy spokesman who later joined the Brexit Party; Julia Reid, another Brexit Party MEP; and Steven Woolfe, an independent who had also previously served with Ukip.

After the broadcasts, Voloshyn sent another message on March 28: ‘V [Medvedchuk] asked to pass you his gratitude. He literally said it was ‘awesome’. He even boasted with those MEP comments to his friend you know where and that person was impressed.’

He added a smiley face emoji. Investigators say the ‘friend’ referred to was Putin, who is godfather to Medvedchuk’s youngest child.

Medvedchuk, 71, was later charged with treason in Ukraine and detained before being handed back to Russia in a prisoner swap after the 2022 invasion.

Bullock, 62, insisted on Saturday night that he had long been a critic of Moscow and believed his comments on the channel supported Ukrainian sovereignty. He said he did not remember who asked him to appear and had no idea the outlet held pro-Kremlin views.

He denied receiving any payment and said he was ‘shocked’ to learn Gill had been taking bribes.

‘I’m disgusted with Nathan Gill,’ he said. ‘He deserves everything he gets.’

Friends of Woolfe, 58, said he felt ‘played’ by Gill and had only agreed to the interview to highlight issues around freedom of speech for Ukrainian MPs. He did not respond to requests for comment. Reid, 73, was contacted for comment.

Gill’s activities were uncovered after he was stopped by counterterrorism officers at Manchester Airport in September 2021 while attempting to fly to Moscow, claiming he was attending a scientific conference.

A search of his phone revealed payments from Voloshyn disguised as ‘Xmas gifts’, ‘postcards’ and, in one instance, ‘a small sack of paper gifts’.

On Friday, Keir Starmer called for Farage to launch an internal investigation into ‘what other links there are between his party and Russia’.

Reform UK issued a scathing statement: ‘Mr Gill’s actions were reprehensible, treasonous and unforgiveable.’

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘There have been no other arrests or interviews under caution and the investigation is ongoing.’