Intelligence is interested in parties

A closed report of the special services about Russia's intervention in the policy of Great Britain was published: what is in it?

The British newspaper The Sunday Times reported on Sunday that for many years the Conservative Party of Great Britain received significant donations from donors of Russian origin. Some of them, according to the newspaper, are personally close to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The article is based on the information from the closed report of the Parliament Committee on Intelligence and Security on Russia's intervention in the political processes in the UK, which was scandalously suspended by the government for publication. The committee worked for 18 months, collecting and analyzing the information of the British special services (Mi-5, Mi-6, the Center for Government Communications), various experts and witnesses.

The report-report on 50 pages called "Russia" is considering several directions:

• Direct intervention of the Russian Federation in the results of the British referendum-2016 to withdraw from the European Union and election-2017,

• kyberrose, cyber attacks and cyberspiospionage

• The influence of Russian money entering the British big policy.

The newspaper pointed to 9 donors and published the names of the three included in the secret report.

The largest, apparently, contribution - 1.2 million pounds - was made by Alexander Temerko , the former deputy head of Yukos, who was responsible for the company's relations with state bodies. He left Russia after accusing the scam and theft of shares of Yeniseineftegaz OJSC. Since 2011, Temerko is a UK citizen and a successful businessman.

In second place is the wife of the former Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation , Lyubov Chernukhina , regular donor of the party: in 2017, she won for 160 thousand pounds the right to hold a tennis match with former Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. Another 30,000 pounds, Ms. Chernukhina, paid for lunch with the Minister of Defense Gavin Williamson (was dismissed by Teresa May on charges of organizing information leakage from a secret meeting). Such contributions are a legal form of donations. In 2018, she handed over 450 thousand pounds to conservatives, and another five years before-another 540 thousand. Vladimir Chernukhin, who worked for two years as Deputy Minister of Finance and two years as the head of Vnesheconombank, resigned with the government of Mikhail Kasyanov in 2004 and soon fled to the UK. He was remembered by the fact that in 2008 he bought the legendary building of the London City - the former Midland Bank office worth 72 million pounds on the Uultri Street.

The third name in the publication is Evgeny Lebedev , the son of a famous Russian entrepreneur, banker, ex-deputy of the State Duma Alexander Lebedev ( Alexander Lebedev owns 14% of the shares of Novaya Gazeta - approx. Ed. ), To whom the last Labor government allowed to buy The London Evening Standard . Eugene received citizenship in 2010. Now he is a British businessman, the owner of the company producing The Evening Standard and The Independent . According to The Sunday Times , Johnson, while still the head of the British Foreign Ministry, came to the parties to the Lebedevs family estate near the Italian Peruji.

He came, by the way, without relies on the status of protection, that is, without witnesses.

The leak in The Sunday Times is published, and the report is still under the castle. The explanations of the delay presented by the government, many experts considered it insolvent. The opposition expectedly stated that it was politically motivated. “This report will lead to other issues - about the connections of Russia and Brexit with the current leadership of the Tori party,” said Emily Thornberry, a Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking in the House of Commons.

In turn, representatives of the conservatives do not get tired of repeating that all donations in favor of the party are properly declared by the election commission, published and fully comply with the law (early elections to the House of Commons are held on December 12).

We are talking, however, about foreign influence and dependence on large donors. Teresa May tried to fight with both, but lost. By the way, Temirko himself told Reuters that in December 2018 he participated in a failed attempt to shift May.

It is unlikely that the leak and the story of the refusal of the publication of the report will grow into a serious scandal, which can really harm the conservatives.

Political unsinkability and omnivorousness came into fashion not only in Russia.

This is how recently The Times described the feelings of the long -standing voter of the Labor, who this time will vote for Tori: "Johnson proved that he is a liar ... But he has steel eggs." Even 20 years ago, the Russian structure of political life seemed repulsive and dangerous, and now it “walks widely on the planet” and delights. Maybe this is the main Russian influence on the British elections?