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UK Rail Union Chief Joined Pro-Russia Rally in Occupied Ukraine, New Evidence Shows
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The leader of Britain’s largest rail workers’ union took part in pro-Russian chants and appeared alongside communist symbols during a 2015 visit to Russian-occupied parts of Eastern Ukraine, according to an investigation published by The Telegraph on January 16.
Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ union (RMT), traveled to the Donbas region one year after Russia’s initial invasion of eastern Ukraine. He later described the trip as part of a “humanitarian convoy.”
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Video footage and photographs from the visit show Dempsey holding a red Communist Party flag, posing in front of a statue of Vladimir Lenin, and chanting slogans in Russian, including “United we are invincible” and “The Donbas, the tomb of fascism.”
The material places Dempsey at an “anti-fascist” event in the city of Alchevsk, organized by the Luhansk Communist Party on behalf of the Prizrak Brigade , a Russian armed group active in the region at the time.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: The leader of Britain’s biggest railway trade union joined in pro-Russian chants and posed with a Communist Party flag during a visit to occupied Ukraine, The Telegraph can disclose.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 16, 2026
Read the full story ⬇️https://t.co/oHMT62c9Fo pic.twitter.com/zaJPT0F364
Dempsey was invited by Aleksey Mozgovoy, the founder of the Prizrak Brigade, who was killed two weeks later. Mozgovoy, described by academics as styling himself as a revolutionary communist figure, was later assassinated by Russian security services amid concerns he was insufficiently obedient to Moscow, according to The Telegraph.
During the visit, Dempsey wore a T-shirt bearing the coat of arms of “Novorossiya,” a historical term revived by pro-Kremlin militants seeking to justify Russian territorial claims over southern and eastern Ukraine.
Footage from May 2015 shows Dempsey participating fully in the event, which analysts say was designed to legitimize Russian control over Alchevsk. He traveled with roughly 100 activists on a trip led by Banda Bassotti, an Italian far-left ska-punk band. Ukrainian authorities later sought the extradition of several members of the group under anti-terrorism legislation.
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In a Facebook post thanking the Prizrak Brigade, Banda Bassotti wrote:
“Both times that we went through Russia to arrive to Novorossiya [sic] with the Antifascist Caravan, we were welcomed by Russia with affection. We want to thank the Russian people for its warm welcome and for its help. We know that the attack against Novorossiya is an attack against Russia and its people as well.”
Additional footage filmed by Prizrak Brigade members shows Dempsey recording Mozgovoy as he denounces Ukraine’s government and outlines collectivist economic plans. Other images depict banners from far-left groups across Europe and the Soviet-era Victory Banner, now widely associated with Russian nationalism.
Union leader Dempsey’s Novorossiya T-shirt is a Russian nationalist concept used for imperialist expansion
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) January 16, 2026
In other words, he supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the far-right ideology behind it. The red-brown alliance in action. https://t.co/t6UT5l6vXX pic.twitter.com/UY6INzfTGU
Dempsey later wrote about the trip in Morning Star, including a now-deleted obituary praising Mozgovoy’s aim of building a communist state under Russian control.
Mozgovoy had pledged loyalty to Igor Girkin, a Russian warlord convicted in absentia over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which killed 298 people near Alchevsk in 2014.
At its peak, Mozgovoy’s force controlled territory around Alchevsk and commanded several thousand fighters. By 2015, rival militia leaders were competing for influence and territory they hoped to hand over to a Russian leader in exchange for continued personal control.
The revelations come as the RMT faces renewed criticism after delegates at its 2025 conference passed a motion calling on the UK government to end financial support for Ukraine.
“Eddie Dempsey is a lifelong anti-fascist with an extensive track record of fighting racism in Britain and abroad. His decision to go on a humanitarian convoy to Ukraine was motivated by the appalling House of Trade Unions fire in 2014, in which at least 42 people were killed, following clashes with far-right Ukrainian nationalists,” RMT spokesperson said responding to the report.
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He added that “Mr Dempsey has at no time supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
The House of Trade Unions fire occurred in Odesa during violent clashes between pro-Ukraine and pro-Russia groups, after Molotov cocktails were thrown into the building.
Eddie Dempsey was elected as General Secretary of the RMT in March 2025. He will serve a 5-year term until March 2030. RMT is a trade union with more than 83,000 members from almost every sector of the transport industry, from the mainline and underground railways, shipping and offshore, buses, and road freight.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
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