Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated that justice has been served following the convictions of two men for arson attacks on properties linked to him, which he said must be viewed in the context of Western support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Arson Convictions
Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted for plotting to damage property. Last May, a Toyota Rav4 previously owned by Starmer was set on fire in Kentish Town, north London. Days later, two houses were set ablaze, including a north London home occupied by the Prime Minister's sister-in-law and her family, which he still owns.
Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Starmer said: "Obviously it was a bad attack, and all the details have now come out in court and justice has been done, so I'm pleased in that respect, particularly for my family who were affected by it."
Broader Context
Starmer emphasized the need to view the attacks in a broader context: "We've just had the Ukraine session and actually there was real unity in the room, in the G7, about the fact that Ukraine is doing better now, regaining territory, that the sanctions are having a real impact on Russia and a real sense that now is the moment for all of us as a G7 to ramp up the pressure."
Court Details
Following an Old Bailey trial, Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 11 and 12 last year. The attacks were orchestrated by a shadowy figure known as El Money over the Telegram messaging service, who offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if the blazes were filmed and made news.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said there was no indication El Money was a "state threat," but the motivation was to cause concern and disruption in the UK community and fear for the Prime Minister. A third defendant, Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 35, was cleared of conspiracy to commit arson.
Disinformation Concerns
The arson incidents triggered false online speculation about motives. Downing Street said Russia was among foreign states spreading disinformation online. A spokeswoman said: "As you would expect, the Prime Minister will be concerned about any incident linked to his property, which clearly puts lives at risk... But we also know that Russia and other foreign states seek to exploit division in British society, including by sowing discord online through disinformation."
She added that the government is working with law enforcement and groups to stamp out hate crime, promote social cohesion, and hold those conducting disinformation campaigns to account, through legislative and non-legislative actions.
