Three men found guilty of arson attack for Russian mercenaries on Ukraine-linked warehouse in London

Sky News

08-07-2025

Three men have been found guilty of an arson attack on a London warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group.
Around £1m of damage was caused by the blaze at an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, that was supplying StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine, a court heard.
The StarLinks are often used by the Ukrainian military in its fight against Russia following the full-scale invasion by President Vladimir Putin's forces which started in February 2022.
Nii Mensah, 23, Jakeem Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, were convicted of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life following an Old Bailey trial.
Paul English, 61, was cleared of the same charge.
The attack at the Cromwell industrial estate on 20 March last year was orchestrated by 20-year-old Dylan Earl - who was recruited by the Wagner Group - and Jake Reeves, 23, the trial previously heard.
The group of Russian mercenaries effectively acts as a private army for the state.
Reeves, of Croydon, pleaded guilty to agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023.
Earl, of Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and preparatory conduct under the National Security Act 2023.
It was alleged they recruited a group of men to carry out the attack as part of a series of planned missions for the terrorist group.
The court was previously told the pair had gone on to plot more arson attacks on a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair and the kidnap of their multi-millionaire owner Evgeny Chichvarkin, who was a Russian dissident.
Warehouse arson attack was livestreamed
The Metropolitan Police said an analysis of Earl's Telegram messages showed the first person he recruited for the warehouse arson plot was Reeves, who then recruited his friend Mensah to carry out the attack.
In turn, Mensah recruited his friend Rose. Asmena was also recruited to take part.
Mensah, Rose and Asmena met up on the evening of 20 March 2024 and travelled in a red Kia Picanto to the scene of the arson.
Officers found evidence that Mensah filmed the warehouse being set alight and livestreamed it on FaceTime to Earl and Reeves.
The video was recovered by police. A knife found at the scene was linked to Rose through DNA analysis.
The case is the first concerning allegations under the UK's new counter-espionage laws.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny said Earl was "knowingly acting at the behest of the Wagner Group", banned as a terrorist organisation, and "knew he was acting against Ukrainian, and for Russian interests".
It was 'only by good fortune nobody was seriously injured'
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using 'proxies' - in this case British men - to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf."
He said that the ringleaders Earl and Reeves "willingly acted as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state".
And he added that it was "only by good fortune nobody was seriously injured or worse".
The Crown Prosecution Service called the convictions a "significant moment" and they "send a very clear message that this type of offending will not be tolerated on UK soil".
The Russian embassy in London has rejected any part in the warehouse fire, saying the British government repeatedly blames Russia for anything "bad" that happens in the UK.
Ashton Evans, 20, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts relating to the Mayfair plot but cleared of failing to tell authorities about the warehouse arson.
Dmirjus Paulauskas, 23, was cleared of two similar offences relating to both terrorist plots after the jury deliberated for nearly 22 hours.
The convicted defendants will be sentenced at the Old Bailey at a later date.