Six Britons working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for igniting a located in London storage unit that was storing humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
While delivering the sentences, the presiding judge at the Old Bailey stated that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian state.
The individual named Dylan Earl was given a seventeen-year jail term with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “leading role”. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given 12 years in jail with an additional year on extended licence. Their admitted crimes resulted in them being the initial persons to be found guilty under the 2023 National Security Act.
Jakeem Rose, also a Croydon resident, was jailed for a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, 23, a Thornton Heath, South London local, was given nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, who was homeless, was handed seven years in prison. These three individuals were each found guilty of aggravated arson and given a additional year on supervised release by the judge.
Ashton Evans drug dealer hailing from Newport, Gwent, was jailed for nine years imprisonment with an extra year on extended licence after being convicted of failing to disclose details regarding terrorist acts relating to a separate scheme in Mayfair.
Details of the Attack
The arson attack on a Leyton-based storage facility in East London put 60 firefighters at risk and resulted in £1m in damage in March of the previous year.
The proceedings revealed that Earl, 21 and Reeves, 24 remained in their residences while organising the attack for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian government.
The group targeted the warehouse because it was being used to supply humanitarian aid and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine.
When the same Ukrainian company was subjected to an intentional fire 10 days later in the Spanish capital, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command assumed control of the probe.
Evidence and Further Plans
When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his mobile phone uncovered he had videos of the warehouse fire being initiated and was in communication with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an account with the handles ‘Privet Bot account’ and ‘Lucky Strike’.
Some of the messages showed that reconnaissance for additional operations, involving fire-related incidents at a dining establishment and wine store in Mayfair owned by the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The use of explosives to harm structures was also discussed.
Detectives found that the defendant Earl was also raising the possibility of kidnapping the dissident Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.
The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed another potential attack in the Czech nation.
In a residence inspection, police found a flag of Russia, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a street value of about £34,000.
Motivations and Judicial Remarks
The proceedings revealed he was a participant in multiple pro-Russian propaganda channels and was driven by “simple and ugly greed”.
“This legal matter concerns the attempts by the Russian government to gain pernicious global influence using online platforms to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow.”
She found the arson attack had a “link to terrorism” irrespective of if the perpetrators were aware of it. The Wagner group is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist group.
