The methods employed were ‘very similar’ to those known to be used by Russian spies acting in the UK, the counterterrorism head said
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 9:06pm, 19 Jun 2026A British court sent two men to prison on Friday for setting fire to property linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a plot orchestrated by a mysterious Russian-speaking figure.Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian citizen, were jailed for seven years and two years, respectively, after being found guilty of conspiracy to damage property by fire.The men targeted a car and two properties linked to Starmer over three nights in May 2025 on the orders of a Russian-speaking figure going by the name of “El Money”, according to prosecutors.
El Money communicated on the messaging app Telegram with Lavrynovych. Their identity was never revealed and they were not charged.
The court heard how Carpuic was a middleman tasked with arranging payment – which never came – and recruiting someone to film the fires.
Addressing Lavrynovych in the dock, Justice Neil Garnham said he agreed to carry out this “mindless piece of arson for money”.
