Disgraced ex-Reform Wales leader who took pro-Russian bribes must pay £22k

Former MEP Nathan Gill has been ordered to pay more than £22,500 after being convicted of accepting bribes to deliver pro‑Russian speeches in the European Parliament. Gill, 53, of Llangefni on Anglesey, was sentenced to ten‑and‑a‑half years in prison in November 2025 after pleading guilty to eight counts of bribery under the Bribery Act 2010. He is believed to have received up to £40,000 to assist pro‑Russian politicians in Ukraine while serving as a Member of the European Parliament. While an MEP, Gill accepted money from Oleg Voloshyn, 44, whom the United States authorities have described as a “pawn” of Russian covert services. Voloshyn acted on behalf of Viktor Medvedchuk, 71, a former oligarch and close associate of Vladimir Putin, who was the source of the requests and the cash. In return for the payments, Gill gave speeches in the European Parliament and appeared in interviews for a now‑closed pro‑Russian Ukrainian television channel. He became the first British politician to be sentenced for this offence. Gill did not attend the abbreviated Old Bailey hearing this morning in which the UK government sought to confiscate £22,592.41. Prosecuting Ben Holt told Judge Richard Marks that the amount to be paid had been agreed between the parties. Clare Ashcroft, representing Gill, told the tribunal that he would need time to sell his rental property to raise the funds. She said, “The property needs to be sold. Notice has been given to the tenants. Until these tenants vacate, that property cannot be put on the market.” The rental property is understood to be located on Anglesey, according to the Press Association. After hearing from defence counsel, Judge Richard Marks granted Gill six months to pay the sum or face an additional nine months in prison. Gill served as an MEP from 2014 to 2020, initially for UKIP and later for the Brexit Party. He briefly sat in the Senedd – Wales’ parliament – from 2016 to 2017 and had previously held the post of UKIP’s Welsh leader. He led Reform UK’s 2021 Welsh Parliament election campaign but failed to regain a seat and is no longer a member of the party. In exchange for the money, Gill gave two television interviews to 112 Ukraine in support of Medvedchuk, who was facing treason proceedings at the time. Medvedchuk was detained by Ukrainian authorities at the outset of the 2022 Russian full‑scale invasion and later exchanged with Moscow in a prisoner swap. He had links to two television channels – 112 and NewsOne – which were under threat of closure by Ukrainian authorities in 2018 and 2019. Gill delivered two speeches defending those channels in the European Parliament, some at the petition of Voloshyn, whose wife presented on 112 Ukraine. Voloshyn also tasked Gill with finding other MEPs to speak to 112 and supplied him with talking points to pass on. Both channels were shut down in 2021. At the Old Bailey last year, Mrs Justice Cheema‑Grubb stated that Gill had abused his position and had eroded “public confidence in democracy”. Reform UK said last year that the outcome had been welcomed, describing his actions as “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”. Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer accused Gill of “undermining our interests as a country”.