Two men convicted of arson on Starmer-linked homes, Russian-speaking handler ‘El Money’ remains at large

On the ground: three fires in May 2025

In early May 2025, Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian living in London, was recruited by a Telegram user named "El Money" to carry out a series of arson attacks in exchange for £3,000 in cryptocurrency. He enlisted his friend Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian-born Ukrainian, to help. On 8 May, they set fire to a Toyota RAV4 once owned by prime minister Keir Starmer on a street in Kentish Town. Three days later, on 11 May, they torched a flat in Islington where Starmer had lived years earlier. The final and most dangerous attack came on 12 May at the Kentish Town house rented by Starmer's sister-in-law Judith Alexander, who was inside at the time and suffers from asthma. Shortly after that fire, El Money sent a message to Lavrynovych:

“You attacked the home of a big shot. I'm sending you money, you must leave the city.”

Lavrynovych was arrested hours later. Carpiuc was detained on 17 May at Luton Airport while trying to board a flight to Romania.

The trial and convictions

On 16 June 2026, an Old Bailey jury found both men guilty of conspiracy to damage property by fire. Lavrynovych was also convicted of two counts of damaging property by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered. Prosecutors presented Telegram messages showing detailed instructions on how to mix flammable liquids and the locations of the targets. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of London's Counter Terrorism Command, said:

“There is no evidence to suggest they knew who they were targeting. However, the obvious intention of the person who gave this commission online was to generate fear both in the victim and in the Prime Minister, and to cause disruption and uncertainty in the UK.”

A third man, Petro Pochynok, was acquitted.

The search for El Money and a Russian connection

The Telegram account 'El Money' communicated in Russian and is suspected of having links to Evgheni Liukșin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat and the son of a senior Kremlin-connected official, according to a BBC Panorama investigation. The BBC could not definitively prove that Liukșin controlled the account, and counter-terrorism police have said there is no evidence El Money is a "state threat". Cmdr. Dominic Murphy, who oversaw the initial investigation before retiring, told AP the plot "fits the description of Russian state-backed sabotage". Russia's embassy in London denied any involvement. When asked about a covert war against the West, President Vladimir Putin told AP:

“What are the specific facts? What has been proven?”

Calls for a public inquiry

Campaign group Hope Not Hate released an open letter to Prime Minister Starmer urging a public inquiry into Russian interference in British politics following what they called a "grave national security threat". They wrote:

“The Direct Action plot is just the latest in a long series of attempts by Russia to interfere in Britain, divide communities and incite trouble.”

The letter cited a recent review that found a "persistent problem of foreign interests seeking to exert influence". Starmer himself welcomed the convictions on 16 June, saying the incidents occurred "in the context of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine" (translated from French-language reports).