A former Russian MP whose business offers “exclusive access” to UK government ministers has been pictured with Boris Johnson at numerous Tory events.
Sergey Pechinin even put the Prime Minister on one of his Christmas cards with the caption: "We open closed doors."
He boasted on LinkedIn that his company Realia Capital “can introduce you to executives in the UK government and help to build and maintain relations”.
The relationship will raise further questions about Tory links with Russia in light of its invasion of Ukraine this week - though Mr Pechinin was part of an opposition party while in office and stresses he does not support the actions of the Kremlin.
Since Mr Johnson became party leader in 2019, its biggest donor has been the Russian financier Lubov Chernukhin, who has given £700,000.
She has been a British national since 2011 and is married to Vladimir Chernukhin, who was a deputy finance minister in Vladimir Putin ’s government.
She has always strenuously denied being under any Kremlin influence - and insists her wealth was not acquired by improper means.
Mr Pechinin also tried to donate £2,400 to the Conservative Party in 2018.
But the move was blocked because rules state only those on the UK electoral roll can give directly to political parties.
Mr Pechinin describes himself as a “skilful and effective lobbyist”, who used to be "a senior adviser to a number of federal MPs and senators in Russia"
In recent years, he has met the most senior figures in British politics, including former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
Pictures on Facebook show him with Mr Johnson on at least six occasions – including some taken after he became prime minister in 2019.
He posed next to Mr Johnson at the Conservative Party’s exclusive Winter Party fundraising ball in 2020.
The event earned the party an estimated £500,000 from table fees alone, with guests paying up to £15,000 per table.
Before arriving at the event, he posted on social media: “Today, I am going to Conservative Party Winter Ball to meet Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson and his father, who came to visit my office… Brings back good memories from our trip to Moscow three years ago.”
This appears to be a reference to a trip Stanley Johnson made to Moscow in 2016.
He appeared on a panel with Mr Pechinin at the Radisson Hotel – a luxury neo-gothic landmark that was originally commissioned by Stalin.
Mr Pechinin confirmed he had met Mr Johnson “a couple of times" and said his donation was rejected by the Tories "because I have a Russian passport."
He added: "I strongly support Ukraine and fled from Russia, they took away all my business from me."
A Tory spokesperson refused to comment on Pechinin’s access to ministers, or confirm whether the party had accepted money from him via ticket sales to events.
But he said: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly declared to the Electoral Commission and published by them, as per the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
"As Electoral Commission records show, we have accepted no donations from this individual.”
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