Andrew Tate’s Moscow arrival sparks fury from British women accusing him of rape

Lawyer for British women criticizes ‘extraordinary spectacle’ of Tate’s arrival in Moscow.

British women who have accused Andrew Tate of rape, assault, and coercive control have questioned why the self-proclaimed misogynistic influencer has appeared in Russia while UK authorities continue to delay seeking his extradition.

Tate, who admires Vladimir Putin and spreads Kremlin propaganda online, arrived in the same week that Russian authorities hosted US right-wing figures at an annual conference described as Russia’s answer to Davos.

Tate and his brother Tristan, who face criminal charges in Britain including rape, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking, as well as a civil case brought by four women, were greeted by a troupe of folk singers and dancers in Moscow.

A lawyer for the British women bringing the civil case said the failure of British authorities to extradite the brothers had resulted in the “extraordinary spectacle” of the Tates being given a platform in Russia.

The two men have also been charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized criminal group, following their arrest in December 2022.

There is an extradition warrant out for them, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has agreed that they will not be extradited to the UK until those criminal proceedings are concluded.

This policy decision has been questioned by Matthew Jury, the women’s solicitor at McCue Jury & Partners, who said there was nothing stopping British authorities from seeking to extradite the men.

“By failing to secure Andrew Tate’s extradition, the British authorities have failed British women seeking justice as well as Britain’s wider interests,” he said.

“That failure has now resulted in the extraordinary spectacle of Tate traveling to Russia – a state that has decriminalized some forms of domestic violence – to be given a new platform from which to attack western values and spread Putin’s propaganda to his millions of followers.

“For a government that repeatedly calls violence against women and girls a national emergency, and is consistently unable to confront Russia’s relentless attempts to undermine our values, communities, and democracy, this is a profound national embarrassment.”

One of the women making the claim for damages said: “It is deeply upsetting that, once again, Andrew Tate is traveling all over the world despite an outstanding extradition warrant and the serious criminal charges against him. We reiterate our calls for the UK government to finally act and extradite Andrew Tate to the UK. Otherwise, their commitments to ending violence against women and girls risk being seen by victims and survivors as hollow platitudes which only add insult to injury.”

Andrew Tate has used his online presence to praise Putin, promote Kremlin disinformation and propaganda, align himself with Russian state-backed homophobia, and echo Kremlin talking points about the war in Ukraine. In an interview with US right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, he thanked Putin for having “cured Covid” when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Tates were able to go to Russia after travel restrictions were lifted by authorities in Romania, who have reportedly been coming under pressure from the Trump administration on the case.

The brothers’ arrival in Russia coincided with Putin’s annual economic conference in St Petersburg. The presence of US right-wing commentator Candace Owens and the first appearance of a US government official since 2018 highlighted the Kremlin’s eagerness to exploit ties with right-wing western political disruptors and the Trump administration itself.

Russian state media covered the statements of Owens, who claimed that Americans were growing tired of supporting Ukraine. A session at the forum on Russian-American cultural ties included Rodney Mims Cook Jr, a Trump appointee as chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, who has advised the president on projects including the expansion of the White House ballroom and a proposed triumphal arch in Washington DC.

Contacted by the Guardian, Tate said: “We came to Russia because serious countries should be taken seriously. I want to meet people, see how the country works, understand how people live, and talk about it based on what I actually experienced. I am interested in how people live, how they do business, what they believe, what they worry about, and what they think the future looks like. People in Russia and people in America do not have to agree on everything to benefit from contact, conversation, and a clearer sense of how each other lives. That is healthier than talking past one another from a distance.”