National Lottery operator had borrowed millions from Kremlin-owned banks

Exclusive: Syndicate agreed to lend up to 640m to Allwyn in 2020, two years before contract awarded

The company behind the national lottery was borrowing millions from Kremlin-owned banks when it won the UK's largest public-sector contract, the Guardian can reveal.

Russia's two largest lenders, VTB and Sberbank, were part of a syndicate that agreed to lend up to 640m (545m) to Allwyn in 2020, two years before the pan-European gaming specialist was named the preferred bidder" for the 6.5bn lottery contract.