Two men jailed for arson attacks on property linked to UK prime minister

The Ukrainian-born men with alleged links to Russia targeted property associated with Keir Starmer in May 2025.

Two men have been jailed over a series of arson ⁠attacks targeting property belonging to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The pair – Ukrainian-born Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27 – were offered money to carry out the attacks by a Russian-speaking figure using the name “El Money” via messaging app Telegram, according to prosecutors.

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Judge Neil Garnham said on Friday that Ukrainian national Lavrynovych was a “useful idiot” acting as a “pawn” for some “unknown cause” which put lives at risk. Lavrynovych has been given a seven-year jail sentence.

“You agreed to carry out this mindless piece of arson for money. You were not a man of great principle, and you were easily bought,” the judge added.

Romanian national Carpiuc, who was born in Ukraine, supported and encouraged Lavrynovych and was handed a two-year jail sentence.

The men carried out overnight attacks in May 2025 targeting London houses linked to Starmer – including his former residence where his sister-in-law and her family were living – and a Toyota car he formerly owned.

They were convicted by a jury on Monday of conspiring to damage property by fire following a trial at London’s Old Bailey court.

Lavrynovych, who the prosecution said lit all three fires, was convicted on two additional counts of arson reckless of danger to life.

Prosecutors said the perpetrators did not express any political motivation for carrying out the crimes, and their motive was financial.

EL Money contacted Lavrynovych in both Russian and Ukrainian, and prosecutors did not state who or what was believed to be behind the account. Lavrynovych told the court he did not know who he was targeting, while the court was shown messages ⁠in which El Money told Lavrynovych he needed to flee the UK after carrying out the attacks on the home “of a very high-ranking individual in Britain”.

The BBC reported that El Money is “a young Russian diplomat” who is 23 and “the son of a senior official.”

The UK police said there was no specific evidence to ⁠link the two men to Russia, while the Russian embassy in London rejected accusations of any ⁠Russian involvement, saying Moscow posed no threat to the United Kingdom’s security.

Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said after the verdict that the mastermind wanted to “create fear” although there was no evidence El Money was a “state threat”.

Speaking after the pair were convicted, Starmer welcomed the verdicts. He said the series of attacks had “to be seen in its broader context”, pointing to Ukraine “doing better” in the war and Western sanctions having a “real impact on Russia”.