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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Dan Sabbagh

Evgeny Lebedev wanted private Russia trip for Johnson when mayor of London

Evgeny Lebedev and Boris Johnson at an awards ceremony in London in 2009.
Evgeny Lebedev and Boris Johnson at an awards ceremony in London in 2009. Photograph: Ian West/PA

The Evening Standard owner, Evgeny Lebedev, sought to organise a private weekend trip in Russia in June 2014 for Boris Johnson when he was London mayor, according to emails newly disclosed under freedom of information laws.

The unusual excursion, at one point discussed over dinner in Moscow by Johnson’s then chief of staff, Edward Lister, and Evgeny’s father, Alexander, would have been tacked on to the end of an official visit to Moscow and St Petersburg.

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