Former Welsh Reform leader Nathan Gill jailed for pro-Russian bribery

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison after admitting taking bribes for pro-Russian interviews and speeches.

Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, is believed to have received up to £40,000 in total for helping pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.

He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) when he accepted money from Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a man once described by the US government as a “pawn” of the Russian secret services.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Cheema-Grubb said Gill had abused his position and eroded “public confidence in democracy”.

Voloshyn was acting on behalf of his “close friend” Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, 71, who was the source of both the requests and the cash.

The Metropolitan Police said investigations continue into “whether other people have committed offences.”

Reform UK said it was glad justice was served amid calls for a further investigation.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism team, said Gill was an “extraordinarily willing participant” in the bribery and described his actions as a “threat to national security”.

He said the case was part of a “breadth of activity” by Russia, including incidents such as the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 and an arson attack in London in 2024.

“This is the kind of thing we’re seeing Russia commit across Europe, and that’s why our international relations, particularly in the fight against terrorism, are so important to confront Russia and make sure we disrupt its activity,” he said.

Gill, who was an MEP from 2014 to 2020, initially for UKIP and then for the Brexit Party, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery at a previous hearing in March.

In late 2018 and early 2019, he gave television interviews on 112 Ukraine, one of two television channels linked to Medvedchuk that at the time were under threat of being shut down by the Ukrainian government.

Gill was bribed to defend the two channels (112 Ukraine and NewsOne) in the European Parliament and to speak in support of Medvedchuk, then a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician facing criminal proceedings for high treason.

Voloshyn, the court heard, had links to those channels; His wife Nadia Borodi was also a 112 presenter.

Both channels went off the air in 2021.

Voloshyn also tasked Gill with finding other MEPs to talk to 112 and gave him talking points to pass on to them.

The court heard that Gill mainly recruited MEPs from the UK, but also some from Germany and France. No case was made that these MEPs knew that Gill was being bribed.

In texts obtained by police, Voloshyn said he would “request and secure at least 5K” for Gill if he got “three or four” more people on board.

Gill replied: “I will do my best.”

Commander Murphy said there was no evidence Gill was paying others.

He said the “tone of the conversation” was that Gill was trying to “find people who could speak openly in support of the Russian narrative in Ukraine.”

Gill also hosted Medvedchuk at the European Parliament base in Strasbourg to promote the so-called “peace plan” for the Donbas region, an event that was praised by Vladimir Putin the next day on Russian television.

Voloshyn asked Gill to arrange for Brexit Party colleagues to attend, the court heard.

Prosecuting barrister Mark Heywood KC said Voloshyn asked Gill to book a room. Gill told them he could “bring some in.”

Voloshyn promised that he would be fairly rewarded and said, “I already have a small sack of paper gifts for you.”

In a series of messages, Voloshyn offered to bring him $13,000, as well as €4,000 for the peace plan.

In December 2018, Heywood said the messages indicated there was already a “close relationship between the two men”.

In her sentencing remarks at the Old Bailey, Judge Cheema-Grubb said there was “little personal mitigation”.

“His misconduct has ramifications that go far beyond personal honor,” he said.

“The recruitment of fellow representatives in this activity aggravates irregularities, undermining the mutual trust essential for the proper functioning of democratic institutions.

“The corrosive damage to public life caused by such actions is long-lasting.”

Police began investigating Gill after receiving tips from their intelligence sources, including the FBI, which found messages addressed to Gill on Voloshyn’s phone when he traveled to the United States in 2021.

Officers were on their way to search Gill’s home in Anglesey, north Wales, on September 13, 2021, when they learned he had already left for Manchester Airport to fly to Russia to attend a conference and observe the election.

When police realized Gill was about to leave the country, the Met detained him at the border under anti-terror laws.

Gill was detained at the airport. His phone was searched and found to contain messages for Voloshyn.

Voloshyn had offered bribes to Gill on eight separate occasions: to make statements in the European Parliament, to appear on pro-Russian Ukrainian television channels, and to organize other MEPs to give statements on those channels.

He used innuendos to refer to money, and on one occasion sent a message to Gill: “I have received all the promised Christmas presents and requested five more postcards for your kind help next week during the debate.”

Voloshyn provided scripts and instructions, directing Gill to speak on behalf of 112 Ukraine and NewsOne.

“V confirms the budget and the project,” he told Gill on December 4, 2018, referring to Viktor Medvedchuk, adding that “V always delivers what he promises.”

His message continued: “V was very excited when I told him about this option. And he’s really counting on this to happen.”

Police who searched Gill’s house found 5,000 euros and $5,000 in cash. The court heard an application to recover £30,000 from Gill, but police believe he could have recovered up to £40,000.

The first offense Gill pleaded guilty to dates back to the same day he left UKIP in 2018.

He continued to accept bribes after joining Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.

He later led the party to the 2021 Senedd election after it changed its name to Reform UK.

In mitigation, defense lawyer Peter Wright told the court his actions may seem “unfathomable” given the “laudable and noble” characteristics of his political life.

“He recognizes, and he did by pleading guilty, the enormity of what he has done and the betrayal of the trust placed in him and on their behalf by others to conduct himself with integrity, and that he has let them and himself down,” Wright said.

A Reform spokesman said Nigel Farage was “deeply shocked and angry” by Gill’s actions, claiming the Reform leader had no knowledge of them at the time.

Police said there was no link to Nigel Farage in their investigation.

Gill also represented North Wales in the Welsh Parliament, then known as the National Assembly for Wales, from 2016 to 2017. Police found no evidence to suggest criminal activity related to this period.

In addition to the eight charges to which he pleaded guilty, he pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

“Nathan Gill has been held accountable for his actions,” Commander Murphy said.

“That should send a strong message to any elected official or anyone in an official capacity who is asked to act on behalf of another government and is paid money to do so.”

A Reform spokesperson said: “Mr Gill’s actions were reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable.

“We are pleased that justice has been served and we welcome the sentence Nathan Gill has received.”

Labor’s Al Cairns called on Farage to investigate his own party, saying: “No patriotic British political party should allow pro-Russian elements to have covert influence in our political system.”

Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts said if the UK’s former reformist leader in Wales was part of a “broader, coordinated effort to advance Moscow’s agenda within our democratic institutions, then the public deserves to know the whole truth”.

Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat leader, said there should be a wider investigation: “A traitor was at the top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security.”

Farage had previously said he had no knowledge of Gill’s “disgraceful activities” and condemned them “in every way possible”.

Additional reporting by Daniel Davies.