The UK providing weapons and training to Ukrainian forces “shows to Putin that the war won’t be such an easy ride”, a former oligarch has said.
Exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky said bolstering Ukraine defences was the most important way that London could show solidarity with Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression on the border.
Speaking on Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News, Mr Khodorkovsky was asked whether putting more pressure on the assets of allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the UK would deter Moscow from launching an invasion in Ukraine.
“The pressure on the assets and the properties of the Russians in Britain has two sides,” he said.
“Putin’s clique illegally pressurise the British political system, it’s done in numerous ways.
“There are legal firms who work for them, sometimes it’s direct influence on British governing bodies. It’s really important to fight this, it’s a dangerous thing for Britain.
“That’s one part of it – the influence of Putin’s clique.
“The other thing is an ethical issue, it’s a question for British society whether it’s happy and whether the system is happy to have dirty money on the British territory.
“As far as Putin is concerned these assets are in enemy territory, he sees this as a betrayal unless these people are influencing the British system.”
But Mr Khodorkovsky added: “More important is supplying weapons and training Ukrainians – that shows to Putin that the war won’t be such an easy ride if he’s planning one.”
It comes as Labour called on the Conservatives to pay back donations from Russians and tackle “dirty money” in Britain.
In a joint letter from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, the party said: “London is the destination of choice for the world’s kleptocrats.”
The pair said: “This is not simply a matter of targeting some individuals or entities through sanctions but about fixing a broken system – Britain’s openness to fraud and money laundering, inadequate regulation of political donations, lax mechanisms of corporate governance, and weakness to foreign interference.”
Mr Lammy also said the Tories had received around £5 million of donations from Russian-linked donors.
“The cosy links between the Conservative Party and Russian-linked donors raise serious questions about our national security at a time when tensions with Russia are on the rise,” Mr Lammy said.
“While Boris Johnson tries to talk tough with Vladimir Putin, his own party has been raking in millions from donors with links to Russia and in some cases reported links to Mr Putin himself.
“The Pandora Papers revealed the scale of the secret offshore wealth held by some of those donors, while others have spoken on the record about the Ukraine crisis in the past.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party only accepts donations from permissible sources, namely individuals registered on the UK’s electoral roll or UK registered companies. Donations are transparently declared to the Electoral Commission and openly published by them.
“The Conservatives in Government have been resolute in standing up to Russian aggression – in contrast to the Labour Party, who sided with Putin on the Salisbury attack.”
The intervention comes ahead of an expected visit to Moscow by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss next week in a bid to calm tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the situation with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“They agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority,” a No 10 spokesman said.
“The Prime Minister and President Macron stressed that Nato must be united in the face of Russian aggression. They agreed to continue to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine.”
European leaders are due to travel to both Moscow and Kyiv in a bid to calm tensions on the Ukrainian border, where it is feared Russia may launch an invasion.
Mr Macron is set to visit Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv on February 14 and Moscow on February 15.
