UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the target of an arson campaign that investigators now say was a part of a broader Russian sabotage and disinformation operation directed from Moscow.
According to the BBC, Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Ukrainian-born Romanian citizen Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, have been convicted at the Old Bailey of conspiring to commit arson on Starmer’s property, while the third man connected to the arson, Petro Pochynok, 35 was found not guilty. The attacks last year in north London set fire to a Toyota RAV4 previously owned by Starmer, as well as entrances to his two properties.
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Evidence presented in court showed that Lavrynovych had been recruited via Telegram, by a Russian-speaking handler saved in his phone as “EL” (referred to as “EL Money” in court), who led him through a series of escalating tasks – from vandalizing infrastructure with graffiti and posters to setting the three fires over the course of five days in May.
“Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you the money you need to leave the city,” the message said, evidence that Lavrynovych had been recruited to target the UK’s head of government.
The arson attack was just one part of the campaign
Russian operatives reportedly ran their campaign remotely through social media and Telegram, using fake far-right and Muslim communities to incite division and fear in the UK, while the Russian embassy rejected “any attempt to associate Russia or its foreign ministry with unlawful activities.”
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According to the BBC’s investigation, the arson attack played a smaller role in an “extensive campaign of sabotage, provocation and lies” that ultimately led back to the Russian Federation.
EL, the handler who recruited Lavrynovych, reportedly offered the perpetrator Russian citizenship in return for further attacks, and glorified Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Evidence suggests that EL is a Russian diplomat schooled in information warfare by propagandists and spies.
“His name is Evgeny Lyukshin,” the BBC reports, “He is 23 and the son of a senior official.”
While Lyukshin did not respond to any questions, the propaganda channels he used to spread disinformation had disappeared only hours after contact. The channels, run from accounts based in Russia, posted “lies about the motive for the arson attacks,” which were then spread by far-right anti-Islam activist, Tommy Robinson.
EL’s goals described as plain
Messages from EL, seen across various Telegram channels, show him glorifying Putin and Russian narratives, while attacking Ukrainians.
“It is obvious that Putin is the leader of the white race,” he posted in one of chat. He has also incited attacks on conscription centers in Ukraine, calling the people of the “white Slavic race” to join the “real Third Rome,” referencing a phrase rooted in the concept that Moscow stands as the final heir to Rome’s imperial legacy.
“Work for the glory of the nation to spite your enemies,” EL wrote, before offering $1,000 (about 860€) as a reward for the attacks.
He has hinted at his identity by offering access to documents from NATO and the CIA, claiming that his father “leaks part of it to me – it was not for nothing that he went to Europe.”
A network of fake online groups
According to the investigation, Russian operatives including EL ran a network of fake online groups, among them the far-right “Direct Action UK” and the Islamist “Takbir Foundation,” to recruit paid proxies and coordinate extremist attacks in Britain.
The “Takbir Foundation” first sought to recruit Muslims to spray-paint “sacred graffiti,” before the operation pivoted to an aggressive anti-Islam agenda through “Direct Action.”
“Takbir Foundation is dedicated to financially supporting jihad throughout England. O mujahideen, be courageous and extend your hand towards the coming caliphate,” EL wrote, offering “halal money.”
Russian hybrid warfare encouraging violence in EU
Russia is believed to be using hybrid warfare techniques to sabotage Europe, with the recent attacks fitting a wider pattern of Russian-backed sabotage, including firebombs on planes destined for the UK and drones entering NATO territory after being knocked off course by Russian electronic interference.
Although UK counter-terrorism police said they have not yet gathered evidence sufficient to prove in court who EL is or directly attribute the plot to the Russian state, security sources in London and Kyiv have privately concluded that Moscow was behind the arson attacks targeting the prime minister.
Former defense secretary Ben Wallace has described the operation as a “very deliberate and definite escalation against the British state,” one that, in his view, would almost certainly have required approval from the highest levels of power in Russia.
