UK government banned from using money from Chelsea sale outside Ukraine

The head of the fund for the management and distribution of income for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, Mike Penrose, has said that the UK government has banned the use of money from the sale of Chelsea outside Ukraine.

"Given the recent speculation over the use of the money from the sale of Chelsea, I would like to provide an update on the status of these funds as head of the fund set up to pay them out.

When Chelsea was sold, the proceeds were given to our fund so that they could benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine and its aftermath, conditions which were subsequently written down in the sale documents approved by the government.

A year later, the government tells the fund that through an agreement with the EU, funds will only be made available if we agree to limit spending to Ukraine's geographical borders and cannot consider any request that would allocate money to Ukrainians outside Ukraine or to families who take it in other countries, including places such as the UK.

To avoid any doubt, I put forward a request to provide money to "all victims of the war in Ukraine and its aftermath" after consultation with other humanitarian experts, as experienced humanitarian workers are well aware that the waves of war change, and the humanitarian needs of war create change along with it.

As the recent unrest in Russia has helped to show, we must prepare for every scenario, including increased refugee outflows due to increased fighting.

Let us also remember that an indirect consequence of this terrible conflict is that vast numbers of people in other countries, already living in fragile circumstances, are suffering even greater hardship due to disruptions in the export of basic commodities such as wheat from Ukraine. From neighbouring Moldova to Somalia we have seen immense suffering and potentially starvation.

Provided again by the government, the fund will not be able to alleviate this pressure or hire international experts to help Ukrainian organisations with complex problems, such as education for displaced children. With such a huge amount of money, some £2.35 billion, the idea of not helping the most vulnerable, wherever they live, is almost unconscionable," Penrose wrote for The Times.

He also added that by agreeing to these conditions, the foundation would not be able to comply with internationally accepted humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, which the UK government asks all non-profit organisations to apply.