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A London court has found three men guilty of setting fire to a warehouse containing equipment bound for Ukraine. The British citizens were acting on orders from Russia’s Wagner Group, The Guardian reported on July 8.
The blaze broke out in March 2024 at a warehouse in East London. After a trial at the Old Bailey Criminal Court, the arsonists — 23-year-old Jakeem Rose, 20-year-old Ugnius Asmena, and 23-year-old Nii Mensah — were convicted of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life.
The warehouse was targeted because it stored humanitarian aid for Ukraine, including Starlink satellite terminals, which have been a vital tool for supporting the country’s infrastructure since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
British nationals Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 23, were identified as organizers of the attack. As previously reported by The Telegraph, both men admitted to receiving payments from Wagner for other acts of sabotage, including an attempted kidnapping of Russian businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, along with the attempted arson of two businesses owned by the exiled billionaire: the wine store Hedonism Wines and the Michelin-starred Hide Restaurant in Mayfair.Chichvarkin, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, fled Russia for the UK in 2009.
Earl had communicated via Telegram with a contact listed as “Privet Bot.” That same account was previously cited in an OCCRP investigation into the recruitment of Europeans for sabotage operations. It is believed to belong to a representative of the Wagner Group.
Sentencing for the arsonists is expected this fall.