Gransnet forums

News & politics

Kremlin-linked oligarchs in London

(140 Posts)
varian Wed 02-Mar-22 11:45:43

Last week, the Center for American Progress, a US thinktank close to President Biden, warned that “uprooting Kremlin-linked oligarchs will be a challenge given the close ties between Russian money and the United Kingdom’s ruling Conservative party, the press, and its real estate and financial industry”.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/31/anti-corruption-campaigner-bill-browder-uk-oligarchs-putin

Whitewavemark2 Sun 13-Mar-22 06:36:28

Brendan May ??
@bmay
·
11h
Lebedev needs to not own any British newspapers, or sit in our legislature. GB News needs to be taken off the air, or its Russian finance frozen.

If you want to assert your previous ??‘sovereignty’, start there.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 13-Mar-22 06:33:27

It gets murkier

“The Telegraph Newspaper is estimated "to have recieved many millions" from the Russian State News Agency - RIA Novosti - to run Russia reports from 2007 onwards.

During this time Telegraph's reporting on Putin softened - while the paper became increasingly anti Europe.”

Whitewavemark2 Sun 13-Mar-22 06:27:32

Vast quantities of information coming to light as a result of The Times investigation of Lebedev - erstwhile admirer of Putin, and great friend of Johnson.

Johnson has undoubtedly allowed his personal pursuit of his own advancement override any intellectual judgement of Lebedev’s suitability and risk to U.K. security.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 13-Mar-22 06:13:03

In my view is outrageous that Lebedev continues as a Lord, whilst the originator if his wealth kills and maimes innocent children and women.

This letter is from Starmer

MerylStreep Sat 12-Mar-22 21:00:22

I love the fact that the only safe harbour that Abramovich can take one of his super yachts is Macedonia.
At least he will be well protected there: the country is full of Chinese. It’s hardly Monaco ? At least is wasn't when we last traveled through there.

Whitewavemark2 Sat 12-Mar-22 16:10:03

Brendan May ??
@bmay
If you ever want to know what current propaganda the Kremlin is putting out, just tune into GB News.

GillT57 Sat 12-Mar-22 14:03:49

Any comments on this Urmstongran? You were always bigging it up. I know you were possible the only viewer though.

FannyCornforth Sat 12-Mar-22 12:59:20

Blimey! shock

GrannyGravy13 Sat 12-Mar-22 12:56:18

Thank you volver

Whitewavemark2 Sat 12-Mar-22 12:49:31

And the CIA

volver Sat 12-Mar-22 12:45:26

Which one of the four owners of All Perspectives Ltd who own GB. News is an alleged Russian Spy ?

That would be Chandler.

Legatum is known for its funding of the influential think-tank the Legatum Institute, which launched in 2007. The Financial Times once described them as the "think-tank at intellectual heart of ‘hard’ Brexit" - a characterisation that they reject.

The charity was set up by Christopher Chandler, a New Zealand-born tycoon who was once a major shareholder in the Russian state energy firm Gazprom.

In 2018, he was accused of being a group of cross-party MPs of “working for Russian intelligence services”.

The claims were made under parliamentary privilege. They were based on files written by Monaco’s security services, including information from France’s DST foreign intelligence agency.

Chandler is described as an “object of interest” to the DST because of his alleged Kremlin ties.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 12-Mar-22 12:40:32

Whitewavemark2

GBNews is now to be known as

KGBNews.

It’s owner is thought to be a Russian spy.

Which one of the four owners of All Perspectives Ltd who own GB. News is an alleged Russian Spy ?

Whitewavemark2 Sat 12-Mar-22 12:33:42

GBNews is now to be known as

KGBNews.

It’s owner is thought to be a Russian spy.

Grany Sat 12-Mar-22 09:02:44

Caroline Fiennes
@carolinefiennes

About UK Royals' involvement in #charity: implication that it helps the oligarch laundro-mat: "Donations to charities - esp those headed by members of the British #Royal family - are a key part of reputation laundering by the Soviet elites" - so says Chatham House, no less:

Grany Fri 11-Mar-22 00:25:05

Prince Charles has had a close relationship with Roman Abramovich for almost 20 years. He needs to come clean about the extent of that friendship, given Charles has direct access to the top of government and all government papers.

GrannyGravy13 Thu 10-Mar-22 10:47:47

Chelsea FC have been granted a special licence so they continue playing, they are not allowed to sell any tickets so that means only season ticket holders can attend games

(I guess this applies to home games, haven’t seen anything referring to a ban on ticket sales for Chelsea fans at away matches )

vegansrock Thu 10-Mar-22 10:22:40

The Conservatives for Russia group has been quietly disbanded .

MaizieD Thu 10-Mar-22 10:20:27

Along with a number of others

GrannyGravy13 Thu 10-Mar-22 09:53:56

Roman Abromovich has been sanctioned by the U.K. Government all his assets have been frozen including Chelsea Football Club.

varian Sun 06-Mar-22 17:52:09

Whitewavemark2

I would be very surprised if Johnson isn’t seen as a security fish by the security services.

Johnson was seen as a security risk when he was briefly the worst Foreign Secretary we ever had. Staff were advised not to keep him informed of certain high security information.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 06-Mar-22 11:39:44

“Around the same time the PM is also alleged to have got involved in Gov contracts for adverts in newspapers - to ensure Lebedev’s Evening Standard benefitted

He is said to have raised Lebedev specifically with aides, and then later Cab Office official in charge”

Whitewavemark2 Sun 06-Mar-22 11:39:23

Fish= risk!

Whitewavemark2 Sun 06-Mar-22 11:28:35

I would be very surprised if Johnson isn’t seen as a security fish by the security services.

Dinahmo Sun 06-Mar-22 11:22:41

Interesting article in the Observer today about the houses owned by Russians, including Sutton Place which was Paul Getty's UK home for many years

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/06/how-london-became-the-place-to-be-for-putins-oligarchs

MaizieD Sun 06-Mar-22 11:03:22

Whitewavemark2

So in summary the Prime Minister ignored advice from MI5 and MI6 not to give a peerage to the son of a former KGB officer, before intervening to hand him government contracts.

I haven't read the ST story, which is paywalled, but from comments I've seen based on it, Johnson actually made our intelligence agency withdraw their advice to the HoLC that Lebedev was a security risk.

Which I find very strange. How could a government minister instruct an intelligence agency to withdraw advice?