Former Reform UK Wales Leader Pleads Guilty to Eight Pro-Russia Bribery Charges

Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales and an elected member of the European Parliament, has pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery related to making pro-Russian statements between December 2018 and July 2019. The charges allege that Gill accepted money in exchange for supporting narratives beneficial to Russia concerning the Ukraine conflict, including making statements in the European Parliament and opinion pieces for news outlets. He was reportedly tasked by Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn to make specific statements on at least eight occasions in return for financial gain. Gill denies a separate charge of conspiracy to commit bribery involving Voloshyn and others. These offenses came to light after his phone was seized in 2021 and he was stopped under counter-terrorism legislation at Manchester Airport. Gill faces a substantial custodial sentence when sentenced in November and is no longer affiliated with Reform UK.