Reform’s Kenyon said ‘Russia within rights to invade Ukraine’
As we’ve reported, Reform’s Makerfield by-election candidate has some predictably rancid opinions. At the same time, he’s said some things which may surprise you – specifically that he voted against Brexit and backed freedom of movement.
Getting back to Reform’s comfort zone, we’ve now learned Kenyon supported Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Crimea back when it was held by Ukraine:
Reform’s Makerfield candidate under fire for resurfaced Russia Crimea commentshttps://t.co/8OskgxazIl
— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) May 28, 2026
Reform and imperialism
Kenyon made his comments in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, which was then governed by Ukraine. Although the international community mostly recognises Crimea as being part of Ukraine, it’s currently held by Russia.
I agree totally, Russia are well within their rights to do what they have done, as we did with the Falklands.
He said this in response to an online forum thread which described the invasion as “democracy in action”. This is more than a little worrying, because Kenyon is seeking to become a politician in a democracy. Should we assume this means Kenyon will support the UK annexing its neighbours?
According to a Reform spokesperson, we should not, because they told the Telegraph:
at no point did [Kenyon]… explicitly support or endorse Russia’s actions in Crimea.
For clarity, we’re going to repeat what he said in its entirety:
I agree totally, Russia are well within their rights to do what they have done, as we did with the Falklands.
Seems pretty explicit to us, if we’re being honest!
Reform also said Kenyon was:
fully opposed to Russia’s illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Do we need to repeat Kenyon’s own words again?
Reform’s ties to Russia
Reform has a pretty dodgy track record when it comes to Russian sympathies. As Skwawkbox reported for the Canary:
Former Reform UK in Wales leader Nathan Gill has today been sentenced to ten and a half years in prison after admitting taking bribes to make positive statements about Russia.
The judge in the case told Gill upon sentencing:
When you say what someone has paid you to say, you are not speaking with sincerity. If it was your genuine opinion, you would not need to be paid for saying it.
Allowing money to corrupt your moral compass constitutes a grave betrayal of the trust vested in you by the electorate.
Farage initially tried to suggest he barely knew Gill; he eventually admitted they were close. Later yet, it would turn out Farage also knew the bribers:
We know Kremlin agent of influence Nadia Sass considered Nigel Farage her ‘good friend’…because she told us.
She cultivated far right political leaders & her social media was key part of her tradecraft.
New in @thenerve_news today are the details
4/https://t.co/bDzxdxRVO6 pic.twitter.com/Yzvp7jP5uy— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) October 18, 2025
Geopolitics
While it’s true UK politicians use Russia as an excuse for sabre rattling, it’s also undeniable that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an act of imperialism akin to the West’s actions in the Middle East. Another obvious fact is that Reform politicians don’t respect Vladimir Putin because they see him as a bulwark against Western hegemony; they respect him because he’s a murderous crook and bully.
Kenyon might ‘explicitly’ oppose the invasion of Ukraine now, but we’re not convinced that will remain the case should he form part of a Reform government.
Featured image via Andrew Harnik (Getty Images)
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Reform UK is an odious far-right organisation, but we should not condemn it when it gets something right. The Russian Federation is an emerging democracy in which the powers of a genuinely popular elected president are constrained by an active and free parliamentary system. And Ukraine is a corrupt and overtly nazi state run by an illegitimate and unconstitutional regime since the coup in February 2014, banning Russian language, culture, and religion despite the fact that much of its population are Russian-speakers. The only reason the regime survives is that it is a convenient tool for an aggressive west to use (“to the last Ukrainian”) in attempts to destroy Russia. Crimea was not annexed by Russia. The correct term is that it acceded to the Russian Federation after an overwhelming free and legitimater referendum vote. And Russia’s military action is fully justified under the “”R2P” (responsibility to protect) principle to prevent a threatened genocide of the people of Donbass. This is the very same principle invoked by NATO in its war against Yugoslavia in 1999 in support of Albanian civilians in Kosovo.
Brilliantly spoken Steve! You 100% nailed it. Worth also mentioning that Russia did not “invade” Crimea with a single soldier – its troops were already stationed there, and had a mandate to protect the population. As the US Nazis like Nuland had illegally couped the legitimate Ukrainian govt – something Willem has NEVER acknowledged – and the resulting far-right regime, later to become openly Nazi as well, then launched a bloody civil war against the parts of the country not at all happy with having their elected govt violently overturned and replaced, those Russian soldiers, along with quickly formed local Crimean defence militias who worriedly noted the mass murders such as the union leaders in Odessa being burned alive by regime-linked fascist mobs – ALSO never mentioned by Willem, strangely enough – simply followed their legal mandate to protect the public of Crimea.
Did they also protect the Russian bases that the US/NATO neocons openly said they wanted to snatch despite international law and treaties? Of course they did – only the insane would find a conspiracy there.
Sadly Steve, Willem is clearly one of the people infected by Russophobic racism, and cannot be objective about the situation to save his life.
His never-ending Russophobia and ahistorical, pro-NATO narrative claims is a dark stain on the Canary’s anti-racism record.
And has almost certainly lost the Canary many, more objective readers and subscribers.
Perhaps he secretly aspires to work for the Murdoch or Torygraph outlets.
totally agree
not the Steve that commented first
No, just his sock puppet account.
Also, Russia an emerging democracy? Geological epochs have happened in a more expedited timeframe than Russia’s democracy is emerging.
I also agree with (the first) Steve, but would like to add that the war started in February 2014 with the US-backed illegal overthrow of the twice elected President of ALL Ukraine (Yanukovich) who was elected on the basis of Ukraine remaining independent of both the EU and Russia. The US then formed a completely unelected Junta to take over Government in Kiev, filled with pro-NATO appointments authorised by the US, not the people. The first diktat of that Junta was to ban the use of Russian throughout Ukraine, directly affecting about 45% of the population who were ethnic Russians, mostly in the East and South, and most of all, Crimea. Those Russian areas rebelled, refusing to accept rule by the unelected Kiev Junta and declared their independence. Crimea was an AUTONOMOUS Republic with Ukraine, with its own Parliament, which immediately held a referendum. This returned a 92% majority to be reunited with Russia with an 80% turn-out. That made Ukrainian troops there quietly withdraw – only one shot was heard, from an upset Ukrainian soldier. So it was Ukraine that actually started the war by shelling and bombing the East of Ukraine, which has continued up to today. In the Minsk Agreements Russia accepted the idea of Donetsk and Lugansk areas staying in Ukraine, if they were allowed to have devolved powers, over such things as the official language. Ukraine signed, but then reneged on it, largely thanks to pro-NATO leaders like Boris Johnson telling Zelenski that NATO would back him in fighting the Russkies. When you understand the actual history rather then NATO propaganda, you suddenly realise that Russia is not the instigator at all – they came to the aid of Russian people attacked by Kievan forces, including the fascist Azov battalion.
Grew up in The British Communist Party, we had links with Russia and China. As others have said the conflict in the Ukraine kicked off in 2014. Ukraine’s leaders burned alive 42 trade unionists and socialists in Odessa’s Trade Union House. As my grandfathers (one a union man) fought in WWII they knew the Azov to be Nazis, a bit of on line research will throw up folks in the Ukraine who still support Nazi ideology. My grandfathers also admired the Russians in Stalingrad where they pushed back the German army. Trouble with the gov is they assume we proles are thick!! We know the economic Union BRICS is rising, Soros himself said the Asian star will rise and China will be the dominant world economy, so we live in precarious times where the mainstream media distorts reality, history and sociology. Youth (post the 1988 Education Reform Act where a NC centrally controlled by gov came in) blame an entire generation ( boomers) for the fluctuations of capitalist economies since the 50s! This is how the gov divides and rules, creates an unstable society. “Them that’s got will get, them that’s not will lose, so the bible says and it still is news” – as sung by the great Billie Holiday.
“Should we assume this means Kenyon will support the UK annexing its neighbours?”
If you consider England-as-UK then it already did: Wales in 1283, Scotland in 1707, and Ireland in 1800. Most of Ireland escaped London’s clutches in 1922, and Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are now governed by parties that wish to regain the independence of their respective countries.