Ukraine

I stand with Ukraine

I know that many of my constituents are looking to provide help and support in light of the ongoing situation in Ukraine. I have provided information on how to provide support and also further information on those looking to get their family members over to the UK. 

UPDATES

24/02/23

February 24 2023 marks 1 year since the illegal invasion of Ukraine. As the war continues, so too does the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Throughout the last year, the UK Government has been supporting the Ukrainian’s in many different ways.

 

Economic support

The total military, humanitarian and economic support pledged to Ukraine stands at nearly £4 billion, with £2.3 billion in military support, £220 million in humanitarian assistance, £100 million to support energy security and much more.

Russia has also been hit with the most severe sanctions package to ever be imposed on a single economy. 1,200 individuals, 130 entities and £275 billion of assets have been hit by stringent sanctions.

 

Humanitarian aid

£220 million has been committed to Ukraine to enable provision of essential services, and to protect the vulnerable. This includes £12 million to the World Food Programme and £4 million to the International Organisation for Migration to provide generators, shelter, water and mobile health clinics. Emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, have been sent as well as £3 million for rebuilding infrastructure, like rail and destroyed roads.

 

Homes for Ukraine

This scheme, which provides Ukrainian refugees with host families in the UK, has proven enormously successful. Over 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK from Ukraine. In Hampshire alone, around 3,000 people have successfully been resettled.

I would encourage anyone with the capacity, to explore whether being a host might be an option for you. The government helps to cover additional cost. You can find out more about becoming a host here: https://apply-to-offer-homes-for-ukraine.service.gov.uk/

More details here: Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

Military support

It is essential to our own security that Russia does not win the war in Ukraine. That is why the government provided £2.3 billion in 2022 and has pledged to match or exceed this figure for the next year.

We are also training 20,000 Ukrainian recruits this year alongside our international partners, and this is being extended to training jet pilots and marines as part of a long-term investment in the Ukrainian military.

Among the equipment provided include a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks, AS90 guns and hundreds of armoured vehicles.

 

Energy

A significant portion of the Russian economy (36% in 2021) is built on revenues from export of gas and oil. Alongside the US and EU, we are ending dependence on Russian fossil fuels. In August 2022, we ended imports of Russian coal, and gas & oil imports were ceased by December 2022.

 

Export of grain

The UK government is supporting Ukraine to ensure that export of grain, a significant product to the Ukrainian economy, is not interrupted. Since the war began, over 20.8 million metric tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs have been exported from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, with two-thirds of the wheat going to low to middle income countries who would otherwise be at risk of famine. The UK has contributed £5 million to the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative which ships grain to countries at risk of famine.

 

War crimes and accountability

The UK has provided £2.5 million to fund the deployment of Mobile Justice Teams to scenes of war crimes, training of 90 judges, funding of forensic evidence gathering and support from UK experts on sexual violence in conflicts. It is absolutely vital that perpetrators of obscene war crimes are brought to justice.

 

15/06/22

Total Ukraine Scheme visas issued to people: 124,400

Data is as of 11 May 2022 and comprised of:

  • Ukraine Family Scheme visas: 41,000
  • Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visas: 83,400

More information at Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

SANCTIONS

The UK announces more than 370 new sanctions now possible thanks to new urgent Economic Crime Act powers.

  • The UK is sanctioning over 370 more individuals, 49 of which are oligarchs and their family members.
  • The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act received Royal Assent today and this has given the Government new powers to act in the public interest and immediately designate individuals and entities under an urgent procedure.
  • Russian oligarchs now subject to UK sanctions include Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven, and German Khan. The oligarchs who will be sanctioned today have a combined estimated worth of more than £90 billion.
  • Putin political allies now sanctioned include Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, punishing those most complicit in Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
  • Meanwhile Russian propagandists who have been designated include Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, among others. A notorious internet ‘troll farm’, the Internet Research Agency, has also been sanctioned.

Oligarch’s Sanctioned Include:

  • Alexey Mordaschov, a member of who are reported to be Russia’s richest family. Mordashov’s’s net worth is reported as estimated £22.4 billion. He is a majority shareholder in steel company Severstal.
  • Mickhail Fridman, founder of Alfa Bank, the largest private bank in Russia. He also owns shares in LetterOne. His net worth is reported as an estimated £11.9 billion.
  • German Khan, a business partner of Aven and Fridman in both Alfa Bank and LetterOne. His net worth is reported as an estimated £7.8 billion.
  • Petr Aven, who was President of Alfa Bank and co-founder of LetterOne. His net worth is reported an estimated £4 billion.
  • Andrey Gurvey, former head of PJSC PhosAgro and a Member of the State Duma who voted in favour of the resolution which recognised the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk. His net worth is reported at an estimated £4.6 billion.
  • Andrey Melnichenko, the founder of EuroChem Group. Reported estimated net worth of £13.7 billion.
  • Viktor Vekselberg, owner of the Renova Group. His net worth is reported at an estimated £6.8 billion.
  • Alexander Ponomarenko, chairman of the board of Sheremetyevo, the biggest airport in Russia. His estimated net worth is £2.22 billion.
  • Dmitry Pumpyansky, owner and chairman of OAO TMK. His net worth is estimated at £1.84 billion.
  • Vadim Moshkovich, chairman of the board of directors of Rusagro Group. His net worth is an estimated of £1.84 billion