Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate have been reported to Britain’s counter-terror policing unit and the Home Office over an alleged “Russian propaganda” video.
The clip, which was posted on the Tates’ social media channels in June, shows the siblings dressed in camouflage and body armour in Russia. They ride a Soviet-era T-80BV battle tank, arm themselves with weapons including a flamethrower and throw grenades from a trench.
A man guiding them through the course tells them that they could win a “special medal” from the “minister of defence of Russia”.
“Putin has his latest propaganda puppets: the Tate Brothers. Andrew and Tristan Tate filmed themselves sprouting pro-Kremlin propaganda whilst using Russian weapons,” Alicia Kearns, the MP for Rutland and Stamford who made the complaint, said on X.
“The Conservatives’ National Security Act clearly states anyone spreading propaganda for a hostile foreign state is legally required to register,” she continued.
“They need to come clean: How did they get on a Russian military base – did they receive any direction or assistance from the Russian state? If the answer is yes, and they failed to register, they are in-breach of the law. I’ve reported them to the Police to investigate.”
But in a statement to LBC, a Tate representative said that the visit was “private and personal”, adding that the brothers received “no payment, compensation, financial assistance or direction from the Russian state” and did not deliver talking points for the Russian government.
“Going to a gun range is as American as apple pie,” a representative for the Tate brothers told The Independent. “Americans love to shoot guns and blow things up. The Second Amendment gives us that right.
“It is absurd to equate a day at the range with military training. That is like saying a day at the driving range makes you a professional golfer.
“Millions of Americans shoot every year for sport, for skill, and for the plain enjoyment of it, which is to say for the same reasons they golf on the weekend. Lawful conduct does not become a crime because the government finds it frightening.”
.png?trim=81%2C236%2C133%2C385)
Kearns argues there are grounds to investigate whether the brothers were required to register under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which operates under the National Security Act and requires individuals to register where they may be carrying out activities in the UK for foreign powers.
The Independent has contacted Kearns, Counter-Terror Police and the Home Office for comment.
The brothers have previously made comments that appear sympathetic to Russia, with Andrew Tate addressing the Ukraine war in an interview with Tucker Carlson in a 2023 interview.
“What I will say to people who are watching this at home is that if you are naive enough to believe that there are good guys and bad guys in wars and it’s as simple as good and bad and that the bad guys are crazy and the good guys want freedom, then you need to do a little bit more investigation into what is really happening,” Tate said.
He also praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his handling of the Covid pandemic.
Tristan, meanwhile, previously tweeted in response to Dmitry Medvedev’s 2024 comments on Nato provoking a response from Russia: “We are relying on Russia to save the world” and warned it not to let the US administration “provoke” it.
The brothers were arrested in Miami on 18 July to face charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and remain in federal custody while fighting extradition to the United Kingdom.
