A series of arson attacks targeting properties linked to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were orchestrated from inside Russia, according to court proceedings and police investigations. Two men, Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian citizen of Ukrainian heritage, were convicted last week at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to commit arson in connection with attacks carried out in May of last year. Lavrynovych was additionally found guilty of two charges of arson and recklessness as to whether life was endangered. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
During the trial, evidence revealed that the men acted under the direction of an individual known online as “El Money” or “EL,” who was said to have recruited Lavrynovych from a Telegram channel popular with Ukrainians in London. Lavrynovych had initially been paid to put up anti-Islamic posters around London at EL’s request before being tasked with the firebombing operation, which targeted two residences, including one occupied by Starmer’s sister-in-law in Kentish Town, and a Toyota Rav4 formerly owned by Starmer.
Authorities described EL as operating from Russia and linked him to an online far-right group known as Direct Action, which promoted hatred and racial divisions within the UK. Reports indicate EL may be 23-year-old Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin, the son of a senior Moscow official connected to President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. Lyukshin is reputedly trained in propaganda and active in efforts to foment unrest in Britain. Messages recovered during the investigation allegedly show EL offering Russian citizenship in exchange for further attacks and glorifying Putin.
While the attacks bear the hallmarks of Russian tactics, including denial and indirect use of proxies, police have not found direct evidence tying EL or the operation to official Russian state agencies. Several sources suggested that EL could be linked to Kremlin-associated proxy groups, such as the pro-Kremlin hacktivist collective No-Name057(16), known for state-backed cyber activity. However, it is considered unlikely that the plot was directly sanctioned at the highest levels of the Russian government. This aligns with broader intelligence assessments that Russia often employs criminal proxies to conduct sabotage, maintaining plausible deniability.
The Russian embassy denied any involvement or association with the attacks. Counterterrorism officials in London described the motivation as intended to cause fear, disruption, and unrest within the UK rather than constituting a direct state threat. Former intelligence officers characterized the case as an example of a disinformation campaign aligned with Russian playbooks aimed at undermining the credibility of figures like Starmer.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over Russia’s use of hybrid warfare tactics involving proxies to destabilize adversaries, especially following diplomatic expulsions after the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack. Similar proxy-assisted sabotage activities have been reported in recent years, including incendiary attacks linked to Russian mercenary groups and intelligence services targeting UK infrastructure.
In a related development, Sir Keir Starmer met US President Donald Trump and other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, at the G7 summit in France, marking the first meeting between Starmer and Trump since a public falling out over the Iran War.