Two student unions of British universities - University College London (UCL) and Lancaster University (LU) - have suspended the activities of Ukrainian student communities after it became known about a possible violation of charity law when purchasing drones, which were later transferred to the Ukrainian military. This is reported by the Financial Times, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, it concerns purchases made last year. According to union representatives, such actions may contradict British laws, which prohibit charitable organizations from providing assistance or military equipment to the armed forces of other countries. Both student unions are registered as charities and are subject to the requirements of the Charity Commission of Great Britain.
According to the official rules of the Commission, "providing assistance or supplying military equipment to any foreign army is not a charitable activity and is prohibited for any funds".
As a result of the investigation, UCL suspended the activities of its Ukrainian student society in March 2024, after it became known that the organization had directed £1,500 of profits from a club party in Mayfair to purchase a DJI Mavic drone, which was later transferred to the front. The president of the organization, Artur Podsokha, said that he "could not remain silent while Russia has been terrorizing our country since 2014". According to him, the drone was bought not with donations, but with proceeds from the event: "It is unfair to receive help from Britain while doing nothing for your country."
The Ukrainian community of Lancaster University reported on Instagram in the summer of 2023 that it had raised over £20,000 to help Ukraine, more than half of which went to the purchase of drones. The list of purchased items included "three DJI Mavic 3" and drone components for territorial defense. However, community representatives later stated that all official collections were exclusively humanitarian, and any dual-purpose actions were a personal initiative of individual participants.
The student union of Lancaster University reported that they learned about the situation recently and suspended the community's activities pending an urgent review. It is noted that the organization did not receive funding from the university.
UCL supported the student union's decision to suspend, noting that disciplinary procedures are conducted independently of the university administration. Lancaster University declined to comment.
Supplement
In January, the Charity Commission of Great Britain issued an official warning to the Chabad Lubavitch organization in London for raising funds to support a soldier of the Israel Defense Army after receiving more than 180 complaints.
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