Two men with ties to Russia were found guilty on Monday of conspiring to commit arson against property linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The prime minister stated that the UK is under attack from bad actors seeking to exploit division and destabilize democracy.
Guilty Verdict
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, were convicted of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property connected to Starmer. They appear to have operated under the instruction of an online handler with links to Russia. A third defendant, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted. Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, on 11 and 12 May last year. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
Starmer's Response
Speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, on Wednesday, Starmer said the attack on his house had clearly impacted and affected his family. He emphasized the need to resist those who seek to exploit division and destabilize democracy. The prime minister noted that the UK deals with proxy attacks from Russia every single day.
Broader Context
The verdict comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the UK. On Sunday, a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil was intercepted by British troops in the Channel. On Tuesday, a Russian warship fired warning shots at a British-flagged yacht, which Starmer described as deeply concerning and reckless.
Handler and Conspiracy Theories
Central to the case was a Russian-speaking Telegram contact using the pseudonym El Money, who allegedly ordered the attacks. James Scobie KC, representing Lavrynovych, called the handler an anonymous devil who manipulated and used the defendants. Security sources suggested that a false conspiracy theory about the defendants being aggrieved sex workers could have been created by far-right figures and amplified by Russian agents.
Starmer expressed concern about actors, including some in the far right, who inadvertently act as de-facto Russian agents. He accused politicians and others in the UK of being willing to tear the country apart, with outside forces exploiting division to destabilize democracy.
Investigations and Sanctions
Investigations by the BBC and the Financial Times linked Russia to the arson attacks. The FT found that El Money was located in Russia and aligned with NoName057(16), a pro-Kremlin hacktivist group. Starmer announced new sanctions on Russia, targeting finance networks and expanding the number of vessels targeted as part of Moscow's shadow fleet to over 600.
