London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Nov 13, 2025

Ukraine crisis: Give Russia-linked donations to charities, Labour MP says

Ukraine crisis: Give Russia-linked donations to charities, Labour MP says

The Conservative Party should give donations by a former Russian minister's wife to Ukrainian charities, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been told.

Lubov Chernukhin has donated about £2m to the Tories since 2012.

Electoral Commission figures show she personally donated another £80,250 in late 2021.

The Conservative Party said she is a British citizen with a "democratic right to donate to a political party".

Mrs Chernukhin's lawyers told the BBC she does not have any comment to make regarding her donations, which are a matter of public record.

They have previously said her "donations to the Conservative Party have never been tainted by Kremlin or any other influence".

In recent public comments reported in the media, Mrs Chernukhin condemned "all Russian military aggression in Ukraine" and called for the "strongest possible sanctions against Putin's regime and its enablers".

"I remain hopeful that the UK and its global allies will continue to stand up to the Kremlin and to protect Ukraine and its people, now engulfed in the horrors of war," Mrs Chernukhin was quoted as saying.

Mrs Chernukhin and her husband, Vladimir Chernukhin, are both British citizens and are entitled to donate to UK political parties and vote in elections.

Mr Chernukhin, 53, a former deputy minister of finance under President Vladimir Putin left Russia for London in 2004 after being sacked by the president.

Since Mr Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine last week, the Conservative Party has been criticised for accepting donations from people with links to Russia.

Labour MP Bill Esterson drew attention to Mrs Chernukhin's donations to the Conservative Party during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

Figures released by the Electoral Commission on Wednesday show Mrs Chernukhin made two donations last year - £13,750 in October and £66,500 in December.

Mr Esterson asked Mr Johnson if he would instruct the Conservative Party to hand her donations to Ukrainian humanitarian causes.

Mr Esterson said: "I know he doesn't want to tar everyone with Russian links with the same brush and neither do I, but leaked documents show that Vladimir Chernukhin received eight million US dollars from a Russian member of parliament, an ally of Putin who was later sanctioned by the United States.

"This is an opportunity for the Conservative Party and for the prime minister to end the suspicion of conflict of interests with Putin whilst showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people."

In reply, Mr Johnson said: "It is absolutely vital that if we are to have a successful outcome in what we are trying to do collectively, united with Ukraine, that we demonstrate that this is not about the Russian people, it is about the Putin regime."

In a later statement, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said "dangerous links to Putin's cronies must be rooted out".

"If this government is serious about taking the toughest measures to eradicate Putin's influence in Britain, they must first get their own house in order," she said.


In 2018, Boris Johnson defended a donation to the Conservative Party by Lubov Chernukhin


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
×