Two men have been convicted for arson attacks targeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's properties, orchestrated by a Russian-speaking handler on Telegram known as "El Money." A BBC investigation suggests the handler is a Russian diplomat. The attacks were part of a wider Russian campaign to sow discord in the UK by creating fake far-right and Islamist groups and were intended to create fear and unrest.
Arson attacks on Starmer properties
- ▪A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit arson
- ▪Roman Lavrynovych was convicted of damaging property by fire while being reckless as to whether life was endangered
- ▪Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- ▪Keir Starmer's sister-in-law, Judith Alexander, and her family were inside the Kentish Town home when Roman Lavrynovych set fire to the doorway
- ▪The attacks in May 2025 targeted a Toyota previously owned by Keir Starmer, flats where he used to live, and his Kentish Town home
Russian state sabotage campaign
- ▪UK's Counter Terrorism Policing stated the attacks were intended to cause fear, disruption, and unrest in the UK
- ▪The Russian embassy in the UK rejected any association with unlawful activities, stating Russia poses "no threat to the United Kingdom."
Handler Evgeny Lyukshin activities
- ▪After the final arson, "El Money" told Roman Lavrynovych he had "attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain" and advised him to flee
- ▪A BBC investigation suggests "El Money" is Evgeny Lyukshin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat and the son of a senior official
- ▪Roman Lavrynovych was recruited online by a Russian-speaking Telegram user with the alias "El Money," who promised payment for the attacks
- ▪The handler promised Roman Lavrynovych thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency for the attacks, but the payment was never received
- ▪The "El Money" Telegram account offered Russian citizenship as a reward for other arson attacks and glorified President Vladimir Putin in messages
Direct Action UK fake group
- ▪Direct Action UK's social media offered money for violence and promoted hatred of Muslims, leading to the vandalism of six London mosques and an Islamic school
- ▪The BBC found Direct Action UK was created online by Russian operatives to cause division, using Moscow timestamps and Russian currency symbol conventions
- ▪"El Money" tasked Roman Lavrynovych with putting up posters for a purported far-right group called Direct Action UK
Takbir Foundation fake organization
- ▪The Takbir Foundation sought to recruit people, including non-Muslims, to spray-paint Islamic graffiti in the UK to inflame far-right sentiment
- ▪Before running fake far-right groups, the handler "EL" helped create a bogus Islamic organization called the Takbir Foundation
UK security investigation gaps
- ▪Monitoring group Tell Mama also passed evidence on Direct Action UK to counter-terror police, concluding it was a Russian operation, but received only an acknowledgment
- ▪Anti-racist group Hope Not Hate reported concerns about Direct Action UK to counter-terror police months before the arson attacks but received no reply
- ▪Hope Not Hate warned authorities that the group might be grooming UK residents for a "terror attack against a mosque or identifiably Muslim target."
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