Men jailed over arson attack for Russia on Ukrainian business in London
Six men have been jailed for their role in a Russian-ordered arson attack on a London warehouse supplying aid to Ukraine.
The industrial units fire in Leyton, east London, on March 20, 2024, caused £1.3 million of damage.
Ringleader Dylan Earl was recruited by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization that acts on behalf of the Russian state and is banned by the British government as a terrorist organization. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Before his arrest, he was also plotting to kidnap a wealthy Russian dissident.
Earl, 21, from Leicestershire, admitted an offense under the National Security Act, alongside Jake Reeves, 24, from Croydon, who was jailed for 12 years. The two men are the first to be convicted of offenses under the 2023 national security law.
The four other men sentenced were:
-
Nii Mensah, 23, from Thorton Heath, who broadcast the attack, was jailed for 10 years for
-
Jakeem Rose, 23, from Croydon, who set fire to the buildings, was jailed for nine years for
-
Ugnius Asmena, 21, of no fixed address, who organized the getaway car and was there at night, was sentenced to eight years in prison
-
Ashton Evans, 20, from south Wales, was jailed for nine years for failing to tell police what he knew about a planned kidnapping.
Earl was recruited by a Wagner agent on Telegram where he told his handler he was keen to carry out a series of “missions”, of which Leyton would be the first, the court previously heard.
He then called on other men to carry out the arson.
The targeted Ukrainian warehouse had been used to send goods to Ukraine, including Starlink satellite terminals, and it took eight fire crews and 60 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.
Earl was supposed to receive £9,000 for his role, but was paid less because he carried out the plan early without his manager’s approval.
On Friday, Judge Cheema-Grubb called the case a “planned campaign of terrorism and sabotage” in the interests of the Russian state.
