LONDON, June 19 (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Two men born in Ukraine were jailed on Friday for a series of arson attacks on properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The incidents occurred last year, with prosecutors stating the men were hired by an unidentified person contacted online.
Over a span of five days in May, emergency services were called to multiple fires in north London. One house targeted was connected to Starmer, while another blaze occurred at a nearby property where he previously lived and where his sister-in-law still resided. A third incident involved a Toyota car that had also once belonged to the British leader.
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was found guilty at London’s Old Bailey Court on Monday of two counts of committing arson with reckless disregard for whether life was endangered. He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit arson alongside Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian national who was also born in Ukraine.
During the sentencing, Judge Neil Garnham handed Lavrynovych a seven-year prison term. The judge described him as a “useful idiot,” noting that he was easily manipulated by an individual known only as “EL Money” on the messaging app Telegram. Carpiuc was sentenced to two years in prison, as the court determined he was not directly involved in setting the fires.
Prosecutors explained that Lavrynovych had been offered payment to carry out the arson attacks by the Telegram account. Throughout the trial, Lavrynovych claimed he did not know who the target was and stated he accepted the job to earn money to help his father, who was suffering from health issues.
The court reviewed messages where the handler, EL Money, instructed Lavrynovych to leave Britain after targeting the home of a high-ranking individual. Judge Garnham emphasized the severity of the crimes, noting the danger posed to those inside the properties.
“You were essentially acting as a pawn for some unknown cause and putting the lives of people asleep in their beds at risk as a result,” Garnham said.
The judge highlighted the terror caused during the attacks, noting that the sister-in-law of the Prime Minister and her family were asleep when the fire started. One occupant reported that the house filled with smoke, making it difficult to breathe, while her nine-year-old daughter was terrified by the incident.
While the BBC has reported that Russian operatives were behind the attacks, British police stated there was no specific evidence to link the suspects directly to the Russian state. The Russian embassy in London has rejected accusations of involvement, maintaining that Moscow poses no threat to British security.
The trial also involved a third suspect, 35-year-old Petro Pochynok, who was acquitted of the conspiracy charges. Prosecutors maintained throughout the proceedings that the defendants were recruited as proxies rather than acting out of a specific political ideology.
