UCL society suspended by Students’ Union for allegedly buying a drone for Ukrainian troops

A UCL society has been suspended for allegedly buying a drone for troops in Ukraine.

The UCL Students’ Union took disciplinary action against its Ukrainian Society as there are concerns that the purchase of the drone could violate UK charity law.

Lancaster University’s Ukrainian Society has also been suspended for the same reason.

At UCL, the Ukrainian Society allegedly bought a DJI Mavic 3 drone for £1,500 in October, which was reportedly sent to a Ukrainian soldier personally known to a society member, according to The Sunday Times.

However, Artur Podsokha, 21, president of the UCL Ukrainian Society and a third year politics and sociology student, defended the move.

“Why is a student society being suspended over one surveillance drone, when the UK government has sent billions in military aid to Ukraine?” Artur said. “We are grateful to be studying safety here in the UK, but we cannot just sit back while our home cities are under attack.”

The society’s Instagram page has been updated to reflect the suspension via Instagram

He acknowledged that the society might have handled the situation differently, but emphasised the urgency of the war’s toll, saying: “Cities are in ruins, and people I know have died.”

Most students’ unions, including those at UCL and Lancaster, are registered charities, meaning they must comply with the Charity Commission rules on fundraising. The Commission is reviewing the case.

It stated: “Providing aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force is not a charitable purpose, and no charity can legally undertake such activity.”

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The UCL Ukrainian Society claimed the drone was not funded through formal donations but by money raised at a private event in London’s Mayfair. The drone was reportedly purchased from a member’s account, independent of the union’s financial systems. The society insists it was unaware the transaction could breach charity regulations.

A UCL spokesperson said: “We support the action taken by the union to suspend the Ukrainian Society. Their investigation and disciplinary processes are fully independent of UCL, so it would be inappropriate to make any further comment while this is ongoing.”

A spokesperson for UCL Students’ Union told The London Tab: “We have taken the difficult decision to suspend the Ukrainian Society, pending an investigation and the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.

“This step was taken in line with our policies and our responsibilities as a charity. The Society is engaging with the process, and we will communicate next steps to them once we have completed all our investigations.

“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

The UCL Ukrainian Society has not yet responded to our request for comment.

Featured image via Instagram and Diliff on Creative Commons