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One of the things most people remember about Nathan Gill is his imposing stature.

Standing at 193cm, the former political party leader in Wales towered over his colleagues and rivals – and he appeared even taller in his favourite cowboy boots.

Apart from that, the softly-spoken middle-aged man was a mostly unremarkable figure among the more colourful characters in Nigel Farage's parties.

A Disturbing Legacy

Previously, political profiles focused on Gill's politically quirky status: the teetotal member of the Mormon faith who bore the party's flag in the Senedd, even if critics claimed that he was often not present.

However his legacy is now a very different and disturbing one. In the coming weeks he will be judged at the central criminal court after pleading guilty to accepting payments to deliver speeches in support of Russia during his tenure as a member of the EU legislature.

In modern UK political life, it is an almost unique fall from grace – possibly with similarities to the case of John Stonehouse, the prominent politician recruited as a agent for Czech intelligence in the 1960s.

The Downfall Begins

The moment of Gill's downfall dates back to mid-2021 and the customs line at the American capital's major airport.

American investigators detained Oleg Voloshyn, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician close to a Ukrainian oligarch, occasionally referred to in his native country as the "shadowy figure" and a long-term associate and friend of the Russian president.

It was less than a year before the Russian military offensive of the Eastern European nation and the oligarch had been charged with betrayal, and his broadcast networks, channels for Moscow's messaging, had been taken off the air.

The politician, his representative to the west, was in the sights of US authorities.

The federal investigators extracted electronic communications from the politician's phone in which he talked about covertly compensating Gill. The Ukrainian was released after several hours of interrogation, but he and the oligarch were both identified the following year by the United States as operatives of a Kremlin plot to establish a proxy administration in the country.

Proof Accumulates

Currently in the Russian capital, the co-accused was Gill's alleged accomplice, albeit beyond the reach of British authorities. Two months later in September 2021, after the stop at the US airport, counter-terrorism police arrested Gill at the UK airport.

On his mobile device, investigators found messages that demonstrated he had reached an arrangement with Voloshyn. As stated by prosecutors, Gill received cash on at least eight occasions to make specific comments and opinions benefiting Russia.

The total sum has not yet been revealed, but different sums totalling in excess of at least ten thousand pounds were referenced in WhatsApp messages between him and Voloshyn.

Looking back on them now, the public statements seem subtle, but they provided the mood music in the west for a propaganda war being waged by the Russian government to paint the country's Western-aligned leaders as repressive.

The Payments System

For his cooperation in this secret public relations effort, Gill received "xmas presents" and "post cards" – veiled references to payment. They were his reward for making speeches in the EU assembly and giving TV interviews scripted by his handler.

Communicating via electronic mail, the Ukrainian rejected claims made by the American and British governments that he had acted at the instruction of Russia's FSB intelligence organization.

He insisted the transfers – typically four thousand pounds or £5,000 each – were merely compensation for interviews, rather than bribes. He portrayed Gill as a "humble" father of five who was "far from wealthy" and was the "victim" of a "geopolitical conspiracy".

Wider Government Links

The tangled narrative of the two figures prompts questions about how Russia has attempted to develop relationships across British political life.

Two other MEPs who were members of Farage's political group in the EU capital, visited Ukraine with Gill on an autumn 2018 visit. During the visit, Coburn, Gill and Arnott were featured on camera in interviews with a television channel, a pro-Russian broadcaster connected with the oligarch.

About a month and a half later, the politicians would make comparable remarks during a discussion in the EU legislature on December 11th that touched on media liberty in Ukraine and the issue of whether it should be permitted to enter the EU.

The politician addressed the chamber first. While saying he had "complete understanding" with the country, he added: "It is incorrect to fight repression with authoritarian measures." Legal authorities in the United Kingdom say he had received a script for the address from Voloshyn on 7 December 2018.

Arnott and Coburn followed, Arnott urging the Kyiv administration to ensure media freedom "against a backdrop" of "violence against journalists [and] the planned shutdown of broadcasters".

Coburn subsequently charged Ukraine's government of being "deficient" on freedom of the press, accusing them of "plotting" to close the channel 112 Ukraine and questioning whether Ukraine was fit for European Union accession. The two politicians served on the channel's new "international" board, along Voloshyn and others.

There is no suggestion that either Coburn or Arnott accepted payments in the identical manner as Gill.

Party Responses

Contacted by media outlets, Arnott denied any suggestion that he had links to Russia or was operating in its interests and pointed to another part of his speech in which he said "the best response to a decline in liberty is greater liberty".

He added: "In my view that provides a bit of background and perspective to what I was saying in the remarks and explains where I was coming from. Russia's restriction of free speech should not be countered by Ukraine likewise suppressing freedom of expression."

Attempts have been made to reach the other MEP.

In communications with journalists, the Ukrainian claims the broadcaster the channel "should have" covered the MEPs' travel costs on their 2018 trip. In fact, declarations by the politicians to the European parliament record their travel arrangements as having been funded by the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, a front created by Moscow operatives with the same name as a legitimate organization.

The front organization's president, the individual, was detained in 2021 in his native nation, Poland, on allegations of espionage for the Russian Federation. The former MEP said if he had been aware the funds for his trip could have originated from Russian assets "clearly I would not have taken part in any trip on such a basis".

Farage's Position

Farage has encountered inquiries about the degree of contact he could have had with the Ukrainian. Voloshyn's wife, Voloshyn's wife, last year posted a photo on X of herself with Farage, which appears to have been taken outside the European parliament in approximately 2018, stating she would "long for Nigel Farage and his team".

A separate tweet included a picture of the leader holding a shirt with the {logo|slog