Boris Johnson held fundraiser on invasion night

UK PM was at a Tory fundraising dinner, attended by at least one donor with links to Russia, on the night of the Ukraine invasion.

Boris Johnson attended a fundraising dinner with at least one donor linked to Russia on the night Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Picture: Getty

Boris Johnson was at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner, attended by at least one donor with links to Russia, on the night of the Ukraine invasion.

He gave a short speech at the event in central London before 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 - that the invasion appeared imminent, and only hours before Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, delivered an address in a last-ditch attempt to avert the war.

The plea was ignored and at 5am the next day Russian troops began their three-pronged offensive.

Johnson was the star attraction at the London dinner, attended by about 75 people. They included dozens of 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 said 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 British 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.

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.”

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 $3.5 million to the Conservative Party, including paying for dinner with Theresa May and $284,000 to play tennis with Johnson in 2014.

Last month The Sunday Times disclosed that Chernukhin was part of an advisory board of ultra-wealthy Tory donors, granted privileged access to the prime minister. Lawyers for the Chernukhins deny Vladimir is linked to Putin. Last month Mrs Chernukhin said she “would like to condemn all Russian military aggression in Ukraine in the strongest way possible”.

The Times