A group of Wagner Group operatives have been jailed for setting fire to a warehouse storing aid to Ukraine as part of a planned "campaign of terrorism and sabotage" for the Russian state. The arson attack on industrial units in Leyton, east London, on 20th March 2024, caused about £1 million in damage and required 60 firefighters to extinguish.
The warehouse was targeted because it was being used to supply humanitarian aid and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine. Six men were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday for what the judge described as terrorist activities carried out in the interests of the Russian Federation.
Broader sabotage campaign
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: "This case is about the efforts of the Russian Federation to gain pernicious global influence using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow." She noted the arson attack was not isolated, as another warehouse was hit in Spain ten days later, and the group had discussed potential attacks in the Czech Republic.
The architect Dylan Earl (21) had planned further "missions" after the warehouse attack, including targeting a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair and kidnapping wealthy Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin. The court heard Earl was motivated by "simple and ugly greed" and was a member of numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels.
Sentences and convictions
Earl, from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, was jailed for 17 years plus six years on extended licence for his leading role in the terrorist activities. His co-organiser Jake Reeves (24), from Croydon, received 12 years in prison plus one year on extended licence.
Four others received sentences ranging from seven to nine years. Jakeem Rose (23) was jailed for eight years and ten months, Nii Mensah (23) received nine years, homeless Ugnius Asmena (21) got seven years, and Ashton Evans (20) was sentenced to nine years plus a further year on extended licence for failing to disclose information about the Mayfair plot.
First National Security Act convictions
Earl and Reeves became the first people convicted under the National Security Act 2023. The court heard they orchestrated the attack from their bedrooms, with Earl communicating through Telegram with a Wagner Group operative called "Privet Bot" who instructed him to watch spy drama "The Americans" as a "manual" for covert missions.
When arrested in a B&Q car park in Hinckley, Earl was found with videos of the warehouse fire on his iPhone, a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash, and cocaine worth £34,000. Evidence revealed he had access to cryptocurrency worth more than £58,000 and images of cash bundles totalling an estimated £175,000.
Law enforcement response
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: "This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using 'proxies', in this case British men, to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf. The ringleaders, Earl and Reeves, willingly acted as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state."
Frank Ferguson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This successful prosecution marks a pivotal moment in our national security efforts. The National Security Act has given the Crown Prosecution Service and law enforcement agencies the tools to confront emerging threats from hostile states with greater precision and force."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
