A British court sent two men to prison on Friday for burning property linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a bid organized by a mysterious Russian-speaking figure.
Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian citizen, were jailed for seven years and two years, respectively, after being found guilty of conspiracy to destroy property by fire.
The men targeted the car and two properties connected to Starmer on three nights in May 2025 at the behest of a Russian-speaking man named “El Money,” according to prosecutors. The identity of El Money, which is linked to the Lavrynovych messaging app, was not revealed and they were not charged.
Lavrynovych was a “useful idiot, an idiot,” who could be used for the benefit of his boss, Judge Neil Garnham Garnham said. The court heard that Carpuic was a middleman who was tasked with helping pay – which never came – and hire someone to record the fires.
The plot is consistent with the description of destroying the Russian empire, Cmdr. Dominic Murphy said earlier. He oversaw the initial investigation into the arson as head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit before retiring in March.
He said the evidence collected by the police shows that El Money speaks Russian and may be from Russia. El Money’s methods were “very similar” to those known to be used by Russian intelligence operatives working in the UK.
Western officials say Russia is waging a campaign to destroy European countries that support Ukraine. The Associated Press has tracked at least 192 attacks across Europe since the 2022 attack on Ukraine, including arson and cyberattacks and assassination attempts.
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When asked by the AP in June whether Russia was waging a covert war with the West, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the allegations.
The arsonist was a key asset in the operation, his lawyer said
Speaking to Lavrynovych in the dock, Garnham said he agreed to this “senseless waste of money.”
“You are not a man of good principles. And you are easily bought,” said Garnham. He said Lavrynovych was a man of “very low mental functioning,” and was therefore vulnerable to manipulation.
He accepted the job at El Money as he had accepted “other small, difficult jobs,” Garnham said.
Lavrynovych’s defense lawyer James Scobie said his client was “low-hanging fruit” used by El Money to deliberately target the prime minister and “fodder for this type of infiltration.” Lavrynovych, he said, brought shame to his family in Ukraine where his father worked with the army before he died.
The UK Home Office called the fire a “despicable attack” and said those responsible should be brought to justice. It did not respond to requests for comment on whether the British government was planning to attribute the fire to Russia.
Lavrynovych was tasked with lighting and recording fires for several days in May 2025, according to testimony presented during his six-week trial. El Money hired him online and sent detailed instructions, including target locations and how to mix flammable liquids from a hardware store.
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The attack did not cause any serious injuries or damage, but the prime minister’s sister, Judith Alexander, said she was left “struggling to breathe” after smoke filled her house in the third attack. He and his family live in the residence, which was Starmer’s home before he became prime minister.
Messages found on Lavrynovych’s phone show him discussing other acts of vandalism for money, such as painting black windows on cars and putting up anti-Islamic posters in London’s mosques.
He was not charged with that activity and will be investigated, said Cmdr. Helen Flanagan, current head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism squad.
Counterterrorism police are dealing with many crimes, such as arson, directed by anonymous people on the Internet who promise payment, Flanagan said in a statement after the sentence.
People thinking about doing this work should “think again,” because they could, like Lavrynovych, go unpaid and go to prison, she said.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
