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<\/a>After Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Government of the United Kingdom began to emphasize Moscow\u2019s hostile attitude more and more clearly. Intelligence reports indicate an increase in the number of cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at Western countries. The situation was exacerbated completely by Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which London viewed as a gross violation of international law and a serious threat to European security.<\/p>\nFor a long time, the United Kingdom had been considered one of the most open and attractive places for foreign capital to invest. The main advantages included a strong financial market (the City of London), an efficient legal and economic infrastructure, a prestigious real estate industry (especially in central London), and significant opportunities for \u201cimage enhancement\u201d by funding the arts, sports, or universities.<\/p>\n
Since 2008, the so-called \u201cgolden visas\u201d have been in place, allowing a foreign investor to obtain a British visa in exchange for an investment of 2 million pounds sterling. After five years, such a person could obtain permanent residence in Great Britain. Transparency International reports that out of 3,048 visas issued in 2008-2015, 60 % were granted to Russian and Chinese nationals.<\/p>\n
According to 2020\u2019s report of the Intelligence and Security Committee [3], Russian influence in London was so significant that the term \u201cLondongrad\u201d was used [4]. The report states that Russian oligarchs were welcomed \u201cwith open arms\u201d in the United Kingdom, primarily through their investments and capital, as part of a policy that allowed illicit funds to enter the British market, which was called the \u201cLondon money laundry\u201d.<\/p>\n Those funds were used to expand patronage and strengthen Russian influence in the British establishment. The beneficiaries were PR companies, charities, political structures, universities and cultural institutions. According to the report, Russian influence in the United Kingdom had become a kind of \u201cnew normality\u201d, thanks to which many people associated with Vladimir Putin had been able to integrate into the British elite using their financial resources.<\/p>\n This high level of penetration is particularly evident in London City. It is also worth adding that it is not just the oligarchs themselves \u2013 along with Russian capital, a sector of support services such as law firms, accounting firms, real estate agencies, and PR companies has grown, which have consciously or not contributed to the expansion of Russian influence, often coinciding with the Kremlin\u2019s interests. British companies met the needs of Russian elites by providing, among other things, legal protection, support in the fight against competitors, and money transfers through offshore accounts.<\/p>\n The British media reported that the Evening Standard<\/em> was actively involved in Boris Johnson\u2019s political campaign, and after he won the election in December 2019, the Prime Minister attended Yevhen Lebedev\u2019s birthday party. Soon after, Yevgeny Lebedev was given the title of Lord, which caused a negative public opinion. The Prime Minister\u2019s Office explained this step by the newly minted \u201daristocrat\u201d\u2019s contributions to the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n In the face of growing criticism and after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the British Government responded by passing new legislation. The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act gave the authorities new tools to identify the true owners of real estate in the United Kingdom, especially if they are foreigners. In 2023, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act was passed, requiring companies to disclose more data (e.g., on beneficial owners) and strengthening the powers of supervisory institutions, including Companies House.<\/p>\n The government claimed that that was a key step in the fight against \u201cdirty money\u201d and corruption, especially in the context of questionable origin of funds from Russia. According to government estimates (as of the end of 2023), trade with Russia fell by 90 %, and the value of Russian assets in the UK fell from \u00a329 billion to about \u00a38 billion. More than 20 billion pounds of suspicious origin were frozen.<\/p>\n The National Security Act 2023 was adopted in response to intelligence findings and recommendations included in the 2021 Integrated Security Review, which indicated an increase in threats from the so-called gray zone (espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns).<\/p>\n The Act 2023 included new offences related to espionage, sabotage, and foreign interference. Activities sponsored by foreign states (in particular, disinformation) were given a clearer legal basis for prosecution. The document provided for preventive and investigative measures against persons who cannot be convicted in the ordinary course of justice, and introduced the so-called \u201cForeign Influence Registration Scheme\u201d – FIRS [13]. It is based on a two-stage registration process: the first level covers activities that create political influence, while the advanced level covers activities that pose a potential risk to the national security and interests of the state. Failure to register and conducting activities on behalf of a foreign state is a crime that entails liability, even if the activities are covert. Certain provisions on the establishment of the FIRS came into force at the end of 2023, and the system will be fully operational on July 1, 2025.<\/p>\n The Government has created a working group to protect British democracy from external interference. This team is responsible for the problems of disinformation, political party financing, cybersecurity of the electoral process, and potential pressure on state institutions.<\/p>\n One of the most controversial aspects of attracting Russian capital was the Investor Visa program, which offered fast-track residency in the country in exchange for investments of at least \u00a32 million. Critics argued that the rules were overly liberal and could facilitate the laundering of large sums of money coming from Russia.<\/p>\n With this in mind, in February 2022, the Government announced the immediate closure of the program for new applicants, while a revision of visas issued in 2008-2015 revealed numerous violations. Some of the visas may have been obtained by people who are actually engaged in illegal activities or are associated with Russian special services. At the same time, the so-called exclusion criteria were introduced, based on \u201cinadmissibility due to a threat to national security\u201d. In February 2025, they were extended to individuals closely associated with the Russian regime.<\/p>\n In the 2022 Election Law, the government introduced, among other things, the obligation to mark political advertising online (digital footprint). The provisions also included stricter rules on foreign donors, including a ban on spending above a certain threshold and the registration of the initial value of assets of newly formed parties. Civil society organizations and the Commission on Standards of Public Life called for additional instruments, such as an obligation to verify the actual origin of funds or the introduction of comprehensive anti-corruption procedures in political parties. However, the Government argued that the current mechanisms are already sufficiently restrictive, although further improvements are not excluded.<\/p>\n Key elements of the law include the recognition of \u201cforeign interference\u201d as a so-called priority offense and the obligation of Internet platforms to actively remove content that promotes hostile interference. Ofcom has also been given additional powers in the sphere of media literacy to increase awareness and resilience to manipulation by citizens.<\/p>\n The sale of the club was eventually completed in May 2022 with the promise that the funds would be used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. However, the transfer of funds proved to be legally complicated, and the analysis of how they will be used is still ongoing.<\/p>\n Starting July 1, 2025, any individual or legal entity doing business in coordination with the Russian authorities (including Government agencies, Armed Forces, Intelligence Services, or Parliament) must register with the FIRS. \u201cThis is a powerful tool to detect and block malicious activities directed against our country\u201d, Dan Jarvis emphasized. Refusal to register such activities will be punishable by imprisonment for up to five years.<\/p>\n Many MPs and experts pointed out that China was not included in the same level of registration. In response, the Government answered that the FIRS should remain flexible and can expand the list of countries at any time if it is established that other countries are engaged in comparable hostile activities.<\/p>\n At the same time, on March 25, 2025, the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed a fine of 465 thousand pounds on the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills for the first time. It was found that the firm\u2019s Moscow branch (which operated in the Russian Federation in 1999-2022) made payments to sanctioned Russian legal entities totaling almost \u00a34 million before closing.<\/p>\n<\/a>The combination of two principles \u2013 a lenient approach to illegal financial flows and \u201cgolden visas\u201d \u2013 made it very difficult to find out the actual source of capital from abroad. In the United Kingdom alone, more than 700 Russian millionaires have taken advantage of the \u201cgolden visa\u201d program and received residence permits. A report by the Center for American Progress [2] states that the United Kingdom has become a key location for Russian oligarchs and their wealth. According to various estimates, in 2020, there were from 73,000 (according to the Office for National Statistics) to even 150,000 (according to The Guardian<\/em>) people born in Russia in London alone, and this number included people with only temporary status. This openness has encouraged many Russian oligarchs to invest in London real estate, and the children of the Russian elite have often studied in British private schools. At the same time, the media and anti-corruption organizations (including Transparency International<\/em>) have expressed concern about the risk of money laundering.<\/p>\n<\/a>The report followed a series of media reports suggesting that the Conservative Party may have been heavily dependent on funding from Russian oligarchs. Among the donors named was a friend of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Alexander Temerko [5], who donated more than \u00a31 million to the Conservatives. And the wife of former Russian Deputy Minister of Finance Vladimir Chernukhin [6], businesswoman Lyubov Chernukhina, donated \u00a31.6 million to the Tories [7] (including \u00a3160,000 for a tennis match with Boris Johnson and former Prime Minister David Cameron). According to the BBC, Georgy Piskov [8] (almost 18 thousand pounds) and Alexander Knaster [9] (400 thousand pounds since 2010) also gave a financial support. According to Open Democracy<\/em>, the Conservatives had received over \u00a33.5 million from Russian donors since 2010. Boris Johnson, as Prime Minister, also had a close relationship with Yevgeny Lebedev [10], the son of Russian oligarch and former KGB officer Aleksandr Lebedev [11], who owns shares in the Evening Standard<\/em> and The Independent<\/em>. Aleksandr Lebedev was once a critic of Vladimir Putin, but later supported the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that in June 2022, in an interview with The New York Times<\/em>, he criticized Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and said that Russia was \u201cturning into Iran and North Korea\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/a>In December 2020, the Infobomba<\/em> channel on Telegram<\/em> published a photo of Boris Johnson in an embrace with the head of the Art, Jewelry and Fashion Club, Stephanie Gorbunova [12], at a charity event for the Tories in 2016, organized by Ensemble Productions<\/em>, a company run by Olga Balakleyets. Her official biography states that she works in the field of international cultural and charitable events,consults some government agencies, and has received numerous awards (including a medal from the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev). Her husband, Julian Gallant, is a Conservative Party politician. He once headed the center of Russian culture in London, the so-called Pushkin House. Olga Balakleyets is also one of the co-owners of Private Club No. 5 Limited<\/em>, whose shareholders include the aforementioned Stefani Gorbunova and Zhanna Malevskaya, the widow of Anton Malevsky, the leader of the Izmailovo organized crime group, one of the largest criminal organizations closely linked to the FSB.<\/p>\nMeasures Against Hostile Activities<\/h3>\n
<\/a>In March 2018, former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a Novichok in Salisbury. Russia was blamed for the attack, prompting Theresa May\u2019s government to expel 23 Russian diplomats whom London considered intelligence officers. This expulsion was the largest in the last 30 years and, as 10 Downing Street emphasized, was intended to \u201cundermine Russian intelligence activities in the UK for years to come\u201d. In addition, rules were introduced that gave the security services broader powers to search people at the border if they were suspected of malicious acts in favor of foreign powers.<\/p>\nElection Financing and Political Transparency<\/h3>\n
<\/a>British law (especially the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000) restricts foreign organizations\u2019 abilities to finance campaigns. However, in light of reports of donations from Russian oligarchs, the question has been raised as to whether the current rules effectively prevent covert influence.<\/p>\nMedia and Disinformation<\/h3>\n
<\/a>After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, media regulator Ofcom opened a case against RT<\/em> (Russia Today<\/em>), which was accused of bias and spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda. In March 2022, Ofcom revoked the channel\u2019s license for broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Besides, EU sanctions blocked RT<\/em>\u2019s satellite broadcasting. The Online Safety Act 2023 was adopted to protect users from illegal content and disinformation in the online space.<\/p>\nRoman Abramovich and the Chelsea Football Club Issue<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Roman Abramovich, the longtime owner of Chelsea Football Club, has become a high-profile symbol of Russia\u2019s financial presence in the United Kingdom. After the invasion of Ukraine, he announced the sale of the club. In March 2022, the oligarch was sanctioned, his assets were frozen, and his shares were banned.<\/p>\nToughening Anti-Russian Sanctions<\/h3>\n
<\/a>In April 2025, Secretary of State for Security Dan Jarvis announced in parliament that Russia, along with Iran, would be included in the \u201cenhanced tier\u201d of the FIRS. The decision was made based on Russia\u2019s hostile actions over the years (including the Salisbury attack, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns), its ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, and its potential to destabilize the security system in Europe and beyond.<\/p>\nCountering Russia\u2019s Military Activity<\/h3>\n