A former European parliament member has received a 10.5-year prison sentence from a London court as part of a corruption case that has spark...
A former European parliament member has received a 10.5-year prison sentence from a London court as part of a corruption case that has sparked concerns regarding pro-Russian influence groups' efforts to sway Members of the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, a former Mormon bishop and father of seven, served as an MEP for UKIP and The Brexit Party from 2014 to 2020. He admitted to accepting bribes in return for supporting parliamentary actions that favored Russia while he was in office.
UK counter-terrorism officers stated that he received funds to "promote stories that would have served Russian interests," such as at events, speeches, media engagements, and interactions with high-ranking EU officials.
The London court heard on Mondaythat the bribes were given by Oleg Voloshyn, a former pro-Russian Ukrainian parliament member, but that the overall operation was led by Russian President Vladimir Putin's key ally in Ukraine, oligarch Viktor Medvechuk, who served as the main "source of funds" in the scheme.
Gill's sentencing took place a week after at least six MEPs and five members of national European parliaments participated in a conference in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, where Voloshyn was also present.
In 2018 and 2019, Gill delivered speeches written by Voloshyn in the European Parliament's Strasbourg chamber, supporting two media firms owned by Medvechuk that were eventually prohibited by the Ukrainian authorities.
He also organized an event at the European Parliament, where Medvedchuk introduced his "peace plan for Donbas," the Ukrainian region that encompasses Donetsk and Luhansk, which were partially under Russian control after the 2014 invasion.
Gill and Voloshyn also talked about "gaining the backing of multiple MEPs."
Three additional MEPs who were in office at the same time as Gill, speaking to Euronews under the condition of anonymity, mentioned they had minimal or no memory of him. One individual, who worked on a parliamentary committee with Gill, highlighted his exceptional height (193cm), but stated that aside from that, they could "scarcely remember" him.
"If he participated in committee discussions or meetings, he wasn't a standout, but rather someone who kept a low profile, rarely showing up to meetings or debates," the former MEP stated.
His offenses occurred from the 2016 Brexit vote until the last departure of the UK's MEPs as outlined in the Brexit deal in January 2020.
The mastermind behind the plan,Medvechuk, is also known to have maintained a fraudulent media platform named Voice of Europe – currently under sanctions and the focus of an independent inquiry by Belgian authorities – alleged to have compensated Members of the European Parliament to promote propaganda well after Gill's offense, as recently as 2023.
Voloshyn participated in the Sochi event alongside MEPs
Anton Shekhovtsov, a guest professor at Austria's Central European University, specializing in the connections between European politicians and Russia, stated to Euronews that Gill's actions might represent just the surface of a larger network of influence activities.
"I assume Gill is not the only politician who accepted bribes, but he is the one who was caught. He wasn't very smart because he stored all those messages on his WhatsApp for many years," Shekhovtsov stated.
Gill's remarks and public interviews came before Russia's 2022 large-scale attack on Ukraine, possibly helping him avoid detection.
Nevertheless, three years into the conflict, a series of MEPs and legislators remaincosying upTo Moscow, even with the EU's extensive sanctions and an ongoing war, some attended the second edition of the "BRICS-Europe" conference in Sochi on November 14-15.
In Germany, reports of far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) officials attending the conference sparked outrage from across the political spectrum, intensifying internal conflicts within the party regarding its position on Russia.
Commenting on the Sochi controversy, the party's co-leader Alice Weidel said to reporters that she didn't grasp what her party was "supposed to be doing there [in Sochi]."
Her remarks conflicted with those of her party's co-chairman, Tino Chrupalla, who has consistently claimed that Russia does not represent a danger to Germany.
Safeguarding the AfD politicians visiting Sochi, he stated: "The colleagues who are going there have registered for their trip. It has been approved."
Additionally, in Sochi was a group of politicians from Bulgaria's far-right pro-Russian Vazrazhdane or Revival party, including MEP Rada Laykova who participated.photos of the event.
In one imageShe shared on Facebook, the party chairman Kostadin Kostadinov is shown talking with Voloshyn.
The Sochi summit has sparked worries in Brussels and European capitals regarding the type of conversations that took place behind closed doors, as well as the political stances of MEPs who participated in the gathering.
On 18 November, three days following the summit, Luxembourg's MEP Fernand Kartheiser called on the EU to "start a dialogue with Russia without any more delay" in a letter sent to the EU's foreign policy head, Kaja Kallas, as reported by Euronews.
On that day, the Russian state-run news agency Tass published the letter, which promoted Kremlin-approved arguments through an eight-point strategy detailing "potential methods to reach a lasting solution to the conflict in and around Ukraine".
Kartheiser – who was expelledexpelled from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in June because of his connections with Russia – called on Kallas to incorporate his suggestions into the agenda of the upcoming Foreign Affairs Committee Meeting, aiming to supposedly shift "a fruitless and hazardous conflict towards a stable and fair peace."
Media activities as tools for propaganda
Voloshyn specifically hired Gill to represent Channel 112 Ukraine and NewsOne, which are channels controlled by Medvechuk and were prohibited by the Ukrainian government in 2021.
In the speeches that Gill was paid to give in the Strasbourg chamber, hedescribed112 Ukraine and News One are considered to be facing "unfair pressure" from the Ukrainian government, andaccusedPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy is accused of "revoking television station licenses" and "intimidating individuals he dislikes."
Gill’s declarations of interestsEvidence presented to the European Parliament also reveals that he was a member of the "international editorial board" of Channel 112 Ukraine, alongside fellow UKIP and Brexit Party MEP David Coburn.
Anton Shekhovtsov informed Euronews that the channels were "clearly pro-Russian" and were shut down once they turned into "unbearable" propaganda platforms.
"Viktor Medvechuk believed he should safeguard his media initiative with the support of European politicians, and via individuals who collaborated with him, he contacted European politicians," Shekhovtsov explained.
He mentioned that the "drama" and "theatre" of European legislators promoting Kremlin stories while surrounded by EU flags "resonated with certain audiences" and would be disseminated through pro-Russian media channels.
Gill, along with other Members of the European Parliament, was captured in a photo during an interview with Channel 112 Ukraine, hosted by Nadia Borodi, who is also referred to as Nadia Sass, the wife of Voloshyn, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 2019. Documents from the European Parliament indicate that Sass arranged Gill's trip to Ukraine.
Sass is also featured in anow-infamous selfieTaken outside the parliament with Nigel Farage, now the head of the Reform UK party, who previously worked alongside Gill in the European Parliament. Gill later became the leader of Reform UK in Wales.
The court was informed on Monday that Voloshyn requested Gill to bring in additional MEPs for media appearances, with Gill being offered an extra 4K for this.
Another channel: Voice of Europe
Medvechuk – detained by Ukraine in April 2022 after the start of Russia's large-scale invasion and subsequently transferred to Russia in a prisoner swap – continued his media activities despite his channels being blocked in Ukraine.
Medvechuk continued to manage operations via a company based in the Czech Republic called Voice of Europe, aiming to bypass extensive EU restrictions on Russian media. In 2024, Medvechuk faced sanctions for funding Voice of Europe, initially imposed by the Czech Republic and later by the EU.
Voice of Europe remains the center of attentionongoing investigationby officials in Belgium, and is accused of compensating other MEPs to promote pro-Russian propaganda.
A dozen or more Members of the European Parliament were questioned by the media outlet ahead of last year's European elections, but there is no proof that they received compensation for their participation.
Several ex-MEPs involved in the Voice of Europe controversy, such as AfD's Maximilian Krah, are connected to the current Belgian inquiry. Krah has stated he did not receive payment for his appearances on the platform, even though law enforcement conducted searches of his office and a staff member's residence last year.
Another Member of the European Parliament, Anders Vistisen from Denmark, stated to Euronews in an interview last year that he wasnot paidto communicate with Voice of Europe.
The European Parliament confirmedlast year, it was "looking into" claims that its former members were compensated to speak with the outlet.
Euronews inquired with the Belgian federal prosecutor about the status of the investigation into Voice of Europe, but did not obtain any statements before this article was published.
In a message sent to Euronews, the European Parliament stated, "it acknowledges the decision and the appropriate departments will continue to examine it."
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