Swindon MPs have hit back after it was revealed they had received donations from Russia-linked millionaires.

It follows reports in The Times about donations made by Lubov Chernukhin and Alexander Temerko, both British citizens with backgrounds in Russia.

The former is reportedly the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, having given £1.7m. Mr Temerko is said to have donated £1.4m over the years.

The Times reported that two MPs on the intelligence and security committee had received donations from Mrs Chernukhin and Mr Temerko – as had six cabinet ministers and eight junior ministers. SNP defence spokesman Stewart McDonald called on Mark Pritchard, a Tory MP and one of the ISC members who is said to have received cash, to resign.

The ISC committee this week published its long-awaited report into alleged Russian state involvement in recent British votes.

MPs said several members of the Russian elite closely linked to president Vladimir Putin had been identified as being involved in organisations in the UK that had donated to British political parties. The committee accused the government of “turning a blind eye” to interference by the Kremlin.

In 2015, South Swindon MP Robert Buckland, now Justice Secretary, registered a £5,000 donation from Offshore Group Newcastle, which had as its vice chairman Mr Temerko – a former senior executive at Russian oil and gas giant Yukos.

A month before, in December 2014, North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson registered a £5,000 donation from the same man.

Both donations were made ahead of the 2015 General Election. Mr Temerko made no secret of his admiration of the Conservative Party and, in an interview with the Financial Times in February 2015, spoke about his efforts to persuade voters in north east England – where his OGN oil and gas firm is based – to vote for David Cameron’s candidates.

The Ukraine-born oligarch came to the UK in the early 2000s after the Russian state Rosneft seized the assets of his firm, Yukos. He became a British citizen in 2011.

He is an enemy of Putin and, in an interview with The Guardian this week, welcomed the publication of the ISC report.

He told the newspaper: “Better late than never. They finally published it.”

Both Swindon MPs hit back at The Times story.

A spokesman for Mr Buckland told the Adver: “All donations are legal and declared in the usual way through the electoral commission. We do not accept foreign money – Mr Temerko is a British citizen.

“It would be wrong to tar people born in Russia and other former soviet states with the same brush because of the actions of the Russian government.”

Mr Tomlinson said: “As a Ukrainian, Mr Temerko’s business was illegally seized by Putin.”

Now living in the United Kingdom, he recognised the Conservatives’ “stance against Russian aggression and supports our pro-business policies, which delivered record employment”, Mr Tomlinson said.

He added: “I and many other candidates ahead of the 2015 election were supported by him, as was publicly and openly registered at the time.”

A representative for Mr Temerko told The Times: “As a businessman, Mr Temerko supports the Conservative Party for its pro-business stance.

“Ukraine is his motherland, and he is thankful to the Conservatives for supporting the country against Russia’s aggression.”