Two men were convicted at the Old Bailey on June 15, 2026, for conspiring to commit arson attacks on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The attackers, Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc, acted under the direction of a Russian-linked Telegram handler known as “El Money,” who promised payment and Russian citizenship for the sabotage.
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were recruited via Telegram. During the trial, Lavrynovych testified that he did not know who Keir Starmer was at the time of the attacks, illustrating the disposable nature of the assets used in the operation.
The arson attacks took place in May 2025, targeting a Toyota Rav4 and the Prime Minister’s home. The prosecution established that the physical attacks were part of a coordinated hybrid operation. Russian-based accounts simultaneously spread falsehoods about the motives behind the arson to mask the state-linked direction of the hits.
Domestic far-right figures in the UK, including anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, amplified these disinformation narratives. By spreading the Russian-generated falsehoods, these actors projected a false narrative of organic domestic unrest, while the actual perpetrators acted under external orders from Moscow.
The Old Bailey in London heard the case, treating the conspiracy as a serious criminal offense. The convictions follow an investigation by BBC News and Panorama, which linked the physical sabotage to a broader Russian state campaign of destabilization across Western Europe.
The convictions highlight a Russian state campaign of destabilization across Western Europe, combining physical sabotage with digital disinformation. By utilizing anonymous online handlers to recruit foreign nationals and leveraging domestic far-right figures to amplify falsehoods, Moscow continues to deploy hybrid tactics designed to project a false image of organic domestic unrest within the United Kingdom.