The mayor of London has said he could withdraw from a tennis match with the wife of a former deputy minister in President Vladimir Putin's government, Sky News reported.
Lyubov Chernukhina, the wife of Vladimir Chernukhin, Russia's deputy finance minister during Putin's first presidential term, won the right to play tennis against British Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson for a vertiginous £160,000 ($215,500) at a fundraiser of the British Conservative Party last month.
"They volunteered me to play tennis with some geezer," Johnson told Sky News. "It is very important that full checks are carried out to make sure that this is not somebody who is an intimate of Putin or a crony."
Politicians from both Britain's Conservative and Labour parties have called the donation into question, saying it is incongruous with the United Kingdom's stated desire to adopt a harsh stance on Russia's role in the crisis in Ukraine, The Guardian reported Tuesday.
Chernukhina, who is a banker, was declared an "impermissible donor" by the British Electoral Commission in 2012 but has nonetheless made three donations to the Conservative party totaling £5,500 euros ($7,400), according to The Guardian.
See also:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
