Boris Johnson was at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner attended by at least one donor with links to Russia on the night Vladimir Putin launched his war in Ukraine.
The prime minister gave a short speech at the event in central London as it became clear the Russian invasion was imminent, allegedly telling guests he had to leave early to deal with the crisis.
The event began on February 23 at about 8pm and was held at Spencer House, a Grade I listed building a mile from Downing Street.
It took place despite days of repeated warnings — including from Johnson personally — that the invasion appeared imminent, and only hours before Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address in a last-ditch attempt to avert the war.
His plea was ignored and at 5am the next day Russian troops began their three-pronged offensive.
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A few hours earlier, in London, Johnson was the star attraction at a dinner attended by about 75 people. They included dozens of wealthy party donors and a number of ministers, among them Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary.
Other ministers were invited but did not attend, making excuses or citing diary commitments.
According to insiders, high-profile donors seen at the event included Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former Russian deputy finance minister.
Attendees have also revealed that Johnson gave an introductory speech, which an attendee said amounted to listing the party’s achievements in delivering Brexit and keeping Jeremy Corbyn out of Downing Street.
The prime minister then allegedly asked donors to keep funding the party before telling them he had to leave to “deal with the war”, according to a source.
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No 10 insists he was present for only 20 minutes and was alerted to the invasion only at 4am.
A spokesman said: “The prime minister briefly attended this event which was a longstanding diary engagement. Fundraising is a legitimate part of our democratic process and it is not unusual for the prime minister, or any political leader, to attend such an event.”
Gove followed Johnson with a longer address on “Boris’s behalf”, while Wallace is said to have arrived later because of his heavy workload.
Wallace’s spokeswoman said he arrived at 9.30pm and left as soon as Gove had finished speaking.
During the course of the evening, Gove was overheard talking about football with Nick Candy, the billionaire property developer best known for constructing One Hyde Park, the residential complex in Knightsbridge, southwest London.
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Their discussion came after the UK had already sanctioned five Russian banks and three oligarchs and speculation over Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich’s future was already widespread.
Seven days after the dinner, Abramovich confirmed he was selling the club, only for the government to sanction him on March 10 and place a special licence on Chelsea, meaning any sale now cannot benefit him and can proceed only with ministers’ approval.
On Friday, Candy confirmed he had submitted a £2 billion bid for Chelsea as part of a consortium. His spokesman has said that he believed redeveloping the club’s ground, Stamford Bridge, was an important factor in any bid.
The spokesman said Candy he had not discussed Chelsea in relation to Ukraine, Abramovich, or any potential sale of the club. He added that Candy and Gove had held a general discussion about football because Gove’s son was a Chelsea fan. There is no suggestion Candy was involved in any wrongdoing.
“Mr Candy categorically did not raise the potential sale of Chelsea in the context of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” the spokesman added.
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Gove also insists his discussion with Candy was only a broad discussion about football and that he had no knowledge of any potential sanctioning of Abramovich, his intention to sell the club, or Candy’s intention to bid for it when they met. A source close to him said: “They had a general discussion about football, prior to this year’s invasion of Ukraine. Neither the sale of Chelsea football club nor any government business was discussed.”
Donors were treated to fine wine and food before taking part in an auction. Candy, who has donated £213,000 to the Conservative Party since Johnson became leader, is said to have successfully bid more than £40,000 for a Brexit poster.
Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband, Vladimir, was Russia’s deputy finance minister between 2000 and 2002, was seen at the event by others in attendance. She declined to comment.
Chernukhin, a British national since 2011, has donated more than £2 million to the Conservative Party, including paying for dinner with Theresa May and £160,000 to play tennis with Johnson in 2014.
Last month The Sunday Times also disclosed that Chernukhin was part of a secret advisory board of ultra-wealthy Tory donors, granted privileged access to the prime minister, ministers and advisers at the top of government.
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In October 2021, the BBC reported that a leak of internal files and correspondence from offshore financial companies, known as the Pandora Papers, appeared to show that much of her personal wealth came from her husband. Her lawyers said that these documents were obtained unlawfully and dispute the accuracy of the reporting on them.
An earlier leak of US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) documents showed that her husband had received $8 million (£6.1 million) from a Russian politician, Suleyman Kerimov, who was later sanctioned by the US.
Lawyers representing the Chernukhins said that the money from Kerimov was a loan from a corporate entity and “occurred long before Mr Kerimov was sanctioned”.
They added: “It was repaid within eight months with applicable interest. For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs Chernukhin has never received money derived from Mr Kerimov or any company related to him. Mrs Chernukhin’s donations have never been tainted by the Kremlin or any other influence. All donations have been declared in accordance with Electoral Commission rules.”
They also reject any suggestion that Vladimir Chernukhin was linked to Putin, stating that he was instead loyal to former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who in 2005 became an opponent of Putin. It was his closeness to Kasyanov that led him to leave Russia, they added.
Last month, Mrs Chernukhin said she “would like to condemn all Russian military aggression in Ukraine in the strongest way possible”.
A Tory spokesman said: “From Salisbury to Ukraine, this Conservative government has been resolute in standing up to Russian aggression and has led international efforts against Russia from the off and it is frankly risible for The Sunday Times to suggest otherwise.
“This was a longstanding engagement. Fundraising is a legitimate part of our democratic process, a process that shouldn’t be stopped because of Putin.
“The Sunday Times suggestion that people who have been vocal critics of Putin and in some instances have had to flee Russia are linked to that regime simply by means of their heritage is wholly wrong.”
