I recently came back from providing essential assistance to first responders and labor representatives in the Donbas area of Ukraine. Despite facing daily challenges like power outages, missile attacks, and civilian casualties, Ukrainians show remarkable resilience. They desire peace but refuse to surrender their nation to Russia and the harsh conditions of occupation.

During my visit to the Save Ukraine center, I encountered children rescued from the occupied territories, with a shocking statistic revealing that one in ten had experienced sexual abuse. The number of children reportedly abducted by Russia surpasses 20,000, indicating a vast scale of child mistreatment.

The situation is further complicated by sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s reluctance to transfer £2.5 billion from the Chelsea FC sale for Ukrainian aid, while also engaging in a legal battle over frozen assets in Jersey, with the support of a member of the Conservative Shadow Cabinet.

The involvement of Lord Wolfson KC, a Conservative peer and the Shadow Attorney General, in Abramovich’s legal dispute, along with former Trump advisor Eric Herschmann, raises concerns about the normalization of interactions with Russian oligarchs. Such actions are troubling, particularly when juxtaposed against the backdrop of ongoing child abductions, civilian deaths, and Ukraine’s fight for survival.

The failure to address the issue of Lord Wolfson’s collaboration with a sanctioned oligarch raises significant questions about the ethics of the Conservative Party under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership. It is imperative for democracy’s sake that they are held accountable for this disconcerting development.

In response, the Labour government must take decisive action by enacting emergency legislation to prevent sanctioned oligarchs from exploiting the UK legal system and transferring the approximately £30 billion in frozen Russian assets in the UK to support Ukraine.

As Ukraine stands at the forefront of the struggle for democratic values, it is crucial for us to show solidarity with them. Join us outside Tory Headquarters on January 7th at 5 pm to demonstrate your support for Ukraine and demand accountability.

To learn more about this controversy, including Lord Wolfson’s response, click on this link.