Four men ‘torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
'ARSON GANG' Four men 'torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
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FOUR men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group, a court has heard.
Goods including Starlink satellite equipment were being sent out to Kyiv from the targeted industrial estate unit.
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Around £1million in damage was caused when it was set alight in Leyton, East London, in March last year.
Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, are said to have started the blaze.
The Old Bailey was told that CCTV placed them driving to the scene in English's Kia Picanto.
Jurors heard Rose and Mensah were seen climbing a wall to approach the warehouse, while Mensah also livestreamed the arson.
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Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said they were paid agents motivated by 'good old-fashioned greed'.
He added: 'They did not act alone . . . they were recruited by and directed by two others who have since admitted their role in the aggravated arson.
'This was deliberate and calculated criminality at the behest of foreign influence.'
Mr Penny said 'they may have been ignorant' that they had been recruited on behalf of the Vladimir Putin-controlled Wagner Group.
The four deny aggravated arson.
The trial continues.
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Metro
14 hours ago
- Metro
Ukrainian prisoner reveals what helped him survive 860 days in Putin's hellish j
A freed Ukrainian prisoner of war has borne witness to the horrors he and his comrades have been subjected to in the Russian detention system. Valerii 'Yarylo' Horishnii told Metro they include a massacre at a notorious prison camp where the guards were said to have been 'laughing and drinking coffee' while watching inmates being burnt alive. The special forces soldier has gathered testimony that includes a jailer at the Olenivka prison allegedly telling prisoners 'you're f**** up today' before an explosion which killed 53 of his comrades and injured 139 others. Horishnii, who was injured and then captured in the last-stand defence of Mariupol, spoke openly about the 'hell on earth' he experienced during two years and four months in Vladimir Putin's detention system. He was routinely beaten with fists, kicks and rubber batons, given electric shocks and held in a notorious torture chamber called 'Isolation.' The Azov Brigade fighter, 28, who was part of a UK delegation which raised the case of Ukrainian prisoners, managed to survive through 'love and prayer', before going into shock for days after his release. At one point, he was housed in a cell next to Shaun Pinner, who served with the British military before becoming an Azov fighter. Incredibly, Horishnii has finished his rehabilitation since his release in September and is considering returning to active service. 'I was kept going by love and prayer', he said. 'Love towards my family, country, comrades and regiment. 'There were times when people felt desperate but we always supported each other. I prayed every day for those who were on the outside, for those fighting on the frontline and my family. 'I was scared that I would be released and find some of my family had died from the Russian missiles striking civilian infrastructure every day. 'I asked God to be released as soon as possible. 'I guess he heard my prayers.' Horishnii was part of a Ukrainian delegation that visited London in March to highlight the fate of his country's prisoners of war, and the need for their urgent exchange. The Senior Sergeant of the 12th Special Forces Brigade 'Azov' has also shared his testimony with the United Nations, holding up pictures of his mistreated friends. He is fortunate to still be able to tell his story. Horishnii narrowly missed death when Ukrainian prisoners of war were held in a facility which was blown up on July 28, 2022. 'My position was on the north of the frontline as we defended Mariupol from the very first day of the full-scale invasion back in February 2022,' he said. 'On March 18, 2022, we were relocated to the city centre after the Russians broke through on the western side. 'There were Russian troops, tanks and artillery running amok. 'The next day we were clearing a house of Russian troops when they fired an RPG at us. Both of my legs, my genitals and my left hand got hit. 'I still have some shrapnel in my body but fortunately it didn't do any permanent damage or hit any arteries. 'I was transported to one of the bunkers at the Azovstal factory where there was a hospital under the ground, and I remained there for the rest of the time I was there. 'On May 16, 2022, we got an order from our president and our commander-in-chief to go into Russian captivity. 'Our wounded were literally rotting and we had no medicine. 'We knew the Russians were lying when they said there would be representatives from the Red Cross and the United Nations present, and we would be tortured, but we had no other option.' Horishnii and other Ukrainian prisoners were first transferred to a notorious prison in Molodizhne, near Olenivka in Donetsk oblast. 'There was little food there but we were not tortured and we could move around, read books and talk to each other,' he said. 'After I was moved from Olenivka, there was a massacre where 53 Azov prisoners of war were killed and 139 others injured. 'Some of my cellmates who were there at the time told me how one day before this happened they had been moved into a separate barracks specifically for Azov servicemen. 'They saw some people on the roof of the barracks, who were wearing black ski masks and they looked like military engineers, planting something. A few hours later a Russian guard came up to them and said, 'you're f***** up today.' 'The next thing they heard Russian artillery nearby, they think the Russians tried to hide the sound of the explosion with artillery. 'Then there was a very big explosion on the roof and everything started burning right away, possibly because of the presence of oil. 'The Azov servicemen who were still alive were trying to help each other and give each other medical care. 'They remember that some of the Russian guards who had not been told of the massacre in advance were very scared, they were running around looking for their vests and helmets. 'But some who knew what was going to happen were laughing and drinking coffee. The head of the prison was there, drinking coffee and looking at those guys who were burning alive and he was laughing.' The prison's former head was killed in a blast from an explosive device planted under his car in December 2024, according to Ukrainian media. Sergei Yevsyukov is said to have died in Donetsk amid a series of attacks on pro-Kremlin figures in occupied territory. The search for justice continues in one of the war's many grim chapters perpetuated by Putin's forces. Three years on from the attack, the incident is front of mind in Ukraine after the country's parliament established July 28 as an occasion to remember those tortured or killed in captivity. 'The Russians said it was a Ukrainian HIMARS missile but our investigation points to an explosion on the roof,' Horishnii said of the prison atrocity. 'We have passed our evidence to the British ICRC and to parliamentarians. UN representatives were not allowed to go in and investigate at the time, which I guess the Russians would have been happy to do if it was a Ukrainian missile.' In remarkably composed terms, the veteran recalled how in captivity the cell became a 'comfortable zone', because at least he knew that once inside he would not be tortured. 'In the other prisons we were beaten, given electric shocks and hit with rubber batons,' he said. 'The beatings continued every day I was in captivity. You have to stay on your feet the whole day, you are not allowed to sit. 'Every day the cell door opened it was very stressful, you would have to run with your head very low and your hands tied behind your back. 'As you did this you would be punched and kicked and they used rubber batons and stun guns. 'As crazy as it sounds, the cell becomes a comfortable zone because when the door closes you know that you would not be tortured. 'For two years we did not see any sun, any sky, we were always in cells located underground.' Horishnii described the Russian brutality in the detention system. 'In a prison in the city of Makiivka, in the Donetsk region, the treatment was pretty much ok, even though we were not being in accordance with the Geneva Convention as it was a regular prison not intended specifically for prisoners of war,' he said. 'But all the other places were like hell on earth. 'I was in six places in total and you couldn't even call one a prison, it was a former youth hub for arts in Donetsk that the Russians had turned into a torture chamber called 'Isolation'.' A detailed analysis of the Olenivka massacre was published in June by the Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict. The Russian Federation planned and carried out the attack using artillery, and orchestrated the carnage to make it appear that the Ukrainian service members had been killed by Western weapons, the centre found. The findings have been submitted to the International Criminal Court, which is expected to begin formal proceedings, according to Azov. For Horishnii, the war continues, even after surviving Russian captivity. 'For the first four or five days after being released I was like a robot, I couldn't feel any emotion, I was just in shock,' he said. 'Then on the seventh day I started realising I did not have to comply with any orders such as singing the Russian anthem every day, I was a free person, a free human being. 'I cannot put into words how I felt when I saw my sister and parents, other than to say I was super happy. 'At least a hundred and fifty people have died in those torture chambers, and these are only the official figures so there will be many more, and the Azov prisoners of war are rotting. 'My legs were literally rotting because there was no nutritious food, regular beatings and no medical care. 'The International Red Cross and the UN cannot reach our prisoners because Russia does not allow it. 'If Russia is allowed to escape justice for its war crimes and treatment of prisoners then in my opinion it shows the international laws do not work.' Thousands of Ukrainians are currently being held in captivity in Russia and occupied Ukraine, facing torture, enforced disappearance and denied contact with the outside world, according to Amnesty International. The treatment amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the campaign group said in a report published earlier in the year. 'As for me, I have gone through the rehabilitation process and under the Geneva Conventions and laws of Ukraine, I could just retire with an ideal scenario like living in the mountains, having some children and playing a guitar by the lake,' Horishnii said. 'But the war is still going on and it is hard for me to just leave. 'I had more than 100 friends killed in Mariupol and I can't just leave our struggle, so I'm thinking about going to go back to active duty, continuing my service as a reconnaissance scout and instructor.' The soldier added: 'Our trip to the UK has given us a lot of encouragement. More Trending 'I would like to thank the UK government and citizens for helping us, your support is priceless.' The UK is part of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which is being established to hold the perpetrators of war crimes to account in Ukrainian courts. On a visit to Lviv in May, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said setting up such a body was a 'key manifesto commitment' in the interests of 'accountability and justice.' Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact MORE: Commander's last message from Mariupol steelworks where they 'need a miracle' MORE: Young girl's single wish for New Year will break your heart MORE: Ukrainian band of brothers will return to fight after marathon finish line
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Incredible moment wounded Ukrainian soldier is delivered e-bike by drone so he can escape while surrounded by Russians
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a wounded Ukrainian soldier is delivered an e-bike via drone to escape Russian forces. The brave troop had been stranded for several days behind enemy lines, with numerous attempts made to save him. 8 This is the jaw-dropping moment a wounded Ukrainian soldier is delivered an e-bike via drone Credit: YouTube / @sylasvobody_44 8 Unbelievable footage appears to show a drone slowly winching the electric bike down for the man Credit: YouTube / @sylasvobody_44 8 He is captured escaping on the bike Credit: YouTube / @sylasvobody_44 Unbelievable footage appears to show a drone slowly winching the electric bike down for the soldier, who was said to have been swarmed by Russian forces. Rubizh brigade, who shared the footage, said three of its troops had been tragically killed by enemy fire during the operation around Siversk, northern Ukraine. This meant only the one lone soldier remained - forcing him to hold the position alone. The troop, with the call sign "Tanker" said of a terrifying attack: "Our drones covered us from above as best as they could. "Then they threw two gas cylinders straight into our hole and a lighter. We caught fire." Having sustained a leg injury in the Russian inferno, the soldier was left unable to escape without help - leaving him stranded for four to five days. He said: "Every day, I was surrounded, from all sides. I fought back as best I could." Chief of staff in the brigade Mykola Gritsenko said a rescue team was unable to reach the injured troop without their own safety being put at risk. Gritsenko explained: "It was impossible to drive up with equipment because the enemy was everywhere. "He couldn't get out on his own either, because he had to walk 1.5km to the nearest position. Watch as paranoid Putin is escorted by anti-drone rocket launcher on walkabout after fearful despot cancelled 'Navy Day' "In his condition, with his injuries and lower limbs, he simply wouldn't have made it." But the brigade soon found an alternative solution - airlifting an e-bike using a drone. UAVs have become a key tool in Ukraine's arsenal - allowing soldiers to navigate behind enemy lines without endangering them. The remote-operated aircraft is often stacked with explosives, making it a rarity seeing them in an evacuation scenario. The Battalion Freedom Force brigade explained how two initial attempts to deliver the bike were unsuccessful. The first drone was shot down, while the second's motors burnt out. On the third try, however, the bike reached the soldier and he managed to ride 400m - but he then hit a remote mine and was thrown into the air. The brave troop then limped a further 200m before thankfully being met by his comrades and taken to safety. 8 Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building which was hit a day before, by a Russian missile strike Credit: Reuters 8 Smoke rises over a residential building destroyed by a Russian air strike on Kramatorsk, Ukraine Credit: AP 8 Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire a residential house destroyed by a Russian air strike on Kramatorsk Credit: AP A second e-bike was then delivered, which he rode for 15 minutes until he was able to reach a safe zone and evacuated. Gritsenko said: "To carry out this operation, they had to calculate the right time of day, the right weather conditions that would allow him to do it. "The weight of this electric bike itself reaches almost 40kg." On Thursday, Vladimir Putin's evil forces unleashed a terrifying night of strikes which killed 11 people, including a six-year-old and his mother, and left Kyiv decimated. Vlad reportedly sent eight Iskander-K cruise missiles and 309 Shahed drones, according to Ukraine's armed forces. Five buildings were directly hit, they added. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of burning ruins, saying people were still trapped under the rubble of one residential building. He said: "Kyiv. Missile strike. Directly into a residential building. People under the rubble. All services are on site. Russian terrorists." Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko paid tribute to those who were killed as he described the attack on the capital as the heaviest night of horror for children since the start of the war. Telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko added: "While rescuers are clearing debris and searching for survivors, people are at the scene of the tragedy waiting for news about their loved ones. "These scenes break the heart. Show them to those who think the maniac Putin can be appeased." The latest strike shows Putin has no intention of avoiding Trump's ire and cutting a peace deal with Ukraine. 8 Smoke rises over a residential building destroyed by a Russian air strike Credit: AP
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Deaths from Putin's vicious Kyiv strike rise to 31 including 5 kids as tyrant snubs Trump deadline to keep up onslaught
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE true horror of Russia's missile onslaught on innocent civilians in Kyiv became clear early today as the death toll rose 31, including five children. Donald Trump branded Vladimir Putin's tactics 'disgusting' as rescuers worked through the night to search for any survivors and pull bodies from the ruins. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building which was hit by Russia missiles Credit: Reuters 9 Emergency workers face the grim task of searching the rubble Credit: Reuters 9 A car damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes Credit: Reuters 9 Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko at the site of destruction Credit: Reuters 9 A view at a residential building damaged by a Russian attack in Kyiv Credit: Getty "The youngest child was only two years old. My condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. 159 people were injured, 16 of them children," said President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Once again, such a vile strike by Russia shows that additional pressure on Moscow and sanctions are necessary. "No matter how much the Kremlin denies their effectiveness, they work and must be stronger – hitting everything that allows such strikes to continue. "And it is very important that the world does not remain silent about them. "I thank everyone who has supported our people. We appreciate that President Trump, European leaders, and our other partners clearly see what is happening and condemn Russia." The US revealed secret backchannel talks with Putin's henchmen in recent days have failed to reverse the dictator's refusal to stop the killing. Despite this, Trump is sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow in a bid for a ceasefire ahead of swingeing sanctions being imposed on Russia when a ten day ultimatum expires on August 8. Ten bodies including a dead child were found overnight in the ruins of the collapsed residential tower which was hit by a £2 million Iskander missile in the Svyatoshynskyi district of Kyiv on Thursday. Another woman was pulled from the rubble this morning, the 24th fatality at this location. In all, the death toll from Putin's strikes on the Ukrainian capital was put at 28 with 159 injured, including 16 children. Girl survives being blasted 100ft from Kyiv tower in Putin blitz Today was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv. A total of 112 people needed help from psychologists after the savage strike by a hi-tech missile against a civilian target. More than 2,000 tons of rubble was cleared as the hunt for residents of the apartment building continued. Among the dead was patrol policewoman Liliya Stepanchuk, buried under the rubble of the apartment block. A police statement said: 'The terrorist country [Russia] purposefully kills civilians, strikes at the homes of Ukrainians and mercilessly takes lives… 'Until the last minute, relatives and friends hoped for a miracle… But, unfortunately, there was no miracle.' Among the survivors was a girl who fell 100ft on her bed from her ninth floor flat, breaking a leg and losing a tooth, as a result of the missile strike. Speaking in hospital, Veronika said she did not know the fate of her parents. Putin continued the strikes early today, with two children injured on a strike on a house in Dnipropetrovsk region, where a woman, 35, was also wounded. 9 A woman embraces a person as she waits for her son at a site of the destruction Credit: Reuters 9 Rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike Credit: EPA 9 People were pulled from the rubble Credit: EPA 9 Ukrainian rescuers carry a survivor on a stretcher Credit: EPA A large-scale fire erupted in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region after a strike, while a man, 63, was killed in a strike on Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine hit Russian port Taganrog, on the Azov Sea, and Putin-controlled Luhansk region. 'Russia - I think it's disgusting what they are doing,' said Trump. 'I think it is disgusting……I think what Russia is doing is very sad.' He vowed to put sanctions on Putin next week unless a ceasefire was called, stressing the dictator's war was killing more Russians than Ukrainians. 'A lot of Russians are dying. You have a lot of Russians - more Russians. But Russians are dying, Ukrainians are dying.' But he admitted the sanctions may not halt Putin's relentless warmongering. 'We're gonna put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him….I don't know if that has any effect.' Meanwhile, Witkoff will fly from Israel to Moscow, he announced. His secretary of state Marco Rubio revealed backchannel talks, saying: 'We continue to engage with the Russian side….earlier this week on Monday or Tuesday. 'We had a whole conversation with them as well - not with Putin but with some of Putin's top people - in hopes of arriving at some understanding on a path forward that would lead to peace.' But he admitted: 'We've not seen any progress on that.' Meanwhile, Russia sought to tell its people they are under threat from the West, with hardline foreign minister Sergei Lavrov absurdly suggesting his country was threatened by a new 'Fourth Reich' in Germany and Europe. He turned on its head the West's concern about Putin's potential threat, and the need for NATO countries to increase defence spending. 'Today, Europe has practically plunged into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarisation is becoming, in fact, uncontrollable,' said Lavrov, 75. The EU announced plans 'to collect 800 billion euros allegedly for defence needs. 'And recently, the German Chancellor [Friedrich Merz] has allowed himself to speak out on this issue more than anyone else, calling for arming Germany, addressing the issue of universal military service, and again - apparently as before the First and Second World Wars - creating the strongest regular army in Europe. 'The German Defence Minister [Boris Pistorius] is not far behind, having dared to declare his readiness to kill Russian soldiers. 'Direct historical parallels suggest themselves: modern Germany, and indeed all of Europe under the current leaders, are degenerating into something like the 'Fourth Reich'. 'The situation is more than alarming.' The girl who fell 100ft said from her hospital bed: 'I fell from the ninth floor. 'I just had a broken leg and a tooth was knocked out. 'I was conscious, I was just sleepy and didn't understand what was happening. 'I heard an explosion and a second later I was on the ground. 'I don't know how it happened. 'How could I fly nine floors and be left with just a broken leg? 'Most likely, I was actually sitting on the bed and just fell with it. 'I guess that's why I didn't hit myself, because the bed is soft.' But she said: 'I don't know what happened to my father, what happened to my mother. 'I don't know where they are yet. What happened to them?' In July the Russians used over 5,100 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine, more than 3,800 'Shaheds [drones], and almost 260 missiles of various types, including 128 ballistic missiles, he said. In Kherson, the Russians killed a mother outside her home. Her three daughters are now in shock. A regional administration spokesman said: "At around 6:40 a.m., the occupation forces struck the Dnipro district of Kherson with artillery. "A woman born in 1974 received injuries incompatible with life."
