On October 24, 2025, a British court handed down landmark sentences to six men found guilty of torching a London warehouse stocked with humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine—a brazen act orchestrated at the behest of Russia’s Wagner Group. The attack, which took place in March 2024, not only caused over £1 million ($1.3 million) in damages but also marked a chilling escalation in Russia’s campaign of sabotage across Europe, according to The Guardian, Sky News, and the Associated Press.
The ringleader, 21-year-old Dylan Earl from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, with an additional six years on extended licence. Earl, described in court as a drug dealer and a member of numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels, orchestrated the entire operation from his bedroom, using Telegram accounts under the names “Privet Bot” and “Lucky Strike” to communicate with Wagner operatives. The court heard that Earl received 5,000 euros ($5,815) in cryptocurrency for the attack, and that he was motivated by what Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb called “simple and ugly greed.”
Five other men received sentences ranging from seven to twelve years, each with additional years on extended licence. Jake Reeves, 24, from Croydon, south London, was sentenced to 12 years plus one year on extended licence. Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, received nine years plus one year on extended licence, while Jakeem Rose, 23, from Croydon, was given eight years and ten months plus one year on extended licence. Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was handed a seven-year sentence plus one year on extended licence. Ashton Evans, 20, from Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to nine years plus one year on extended licence for failing to disclose information about terrorist acts in a separate plot. These sentences were the first imposed under the UK’s new 2023 National Security Act, specifically designed to address foreign state threats like espionage and sabotage (AP).
The warehouse, located in Leyton, east London, was operated by a company supplying humanitarian aid and Starlink satellite communication devices to Ukraine—vital equipment often used by the Ukrainian military. The fire, which required eight fire crews and 60 firefighters to control, was devastating. Ten days after the Leyton attack, a similar arson struck a warehouse in Madrid owned by the same Ukrainian couple, prompting counter-terrorism officers to take over the investigation. According to Sky News, police analysis of Earl’s mobile phone revealed he had discussed additional attacks in the Czech Republic, and his device contained videos showing the warehouse fire being set.
The court heard that the recruitment for the attack followed a chain structure. Earl brought in Reeves, who recruited his friend Mensah; Mensah then enlisted Rose, while Asmena was separately included in the plot. The group’s actions fit an emerging pattern of foreign espionage services—especially those linked to Russia—recruiting local criminals through social media to carry out missions in their home countries, as observed by The Guardian and AP.
During the trial, prosecutors laid out a disturbing timeline of events and communications. Earl had not only orchestrated the Leyton fire but had also planned further attacks in London’s Mayfair district, targeting a restaurant and wine shop owned by Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin. Messages recovered from Earl’s phone showed reconnaissance for these attacks had already been conducted, and discussions included using explosives and potentially kidnapping Chichvarkin to “exile him back to Russia to face prison.” Earl also attempted to pay a serving British soldier for intelligence for the Wagner Group, and he discussed burning down a warehouse in the Czech Republic and kidnapping another billionaire, as reported by AP.
The evidence against Earl was overwhelming. A search of his home uncovered a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash, and cocaine with a street value of approximately £34,000. Judge Cheema-Grubb, presiding at London’s Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), ruled that the arson attack had a “terrorist connection,” regardless of whether the perpetrators were fully aware of their role in a broader campaign. “This case is about the efforts of the Russian Federation to gain pernicious global influence using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow,” she declared, according to Sky News. The judge described the attack as part of a “planned campaign of terrorism and sabotage” carried out in the interests of the Russian state.
Defense lawyers for the men emphasized their clients’ vulnerability to manipulation by sophisticated Russian operatives. Paul Hynes KC, representing Earl, depicted his client as “easy meat for the very sophisticated operatives of the Wagner Group acting as proxies for the Russian Federation.” Hynes characterized Earl as someone who sought “praise, importance and significance” and viewed the world through the “prism of online gaming.” Henry Blaxland KC, representing Reeves, pointed to “the extent to which the Russian state and agents of the Russian state have managed to penetrate the UK through taking advantage of adolescents buried in their computers,” adding that Reeves’ judgment was impaired by excessive ketamine use (The Guardian).
British authorities and European intelligence officials have noted that the London arson is not an isolated event. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western officials have documented at least 25 arson or explosives plots across Europe linked to Russia, according to AP. The methods are disturbingly similar: online recruitment via encrypted messaging apps, detailed instructions for sabotage, and demands for video evidence to secure payment. In Poland, for instance, a Colombian man was directed on Telegram to set fire to warehouses and public buses, following patterns nearly identical to those seen in the UK plot.
The goal of these attacks, according to Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for Poland’s security minister, is to “intimidate people,” create conflict, and undermine European societies and support for Ukraine. It also tests law enforcement responses and drains police resources, given the complexity and cross-border nature of the investigations. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing at the Metropolitan Police, emphasized that both Earl and Reeves “willingly acted as hostile agents” for Russia, while the other men may not have been fully aware of the foreign state connection (AP).
The sentencing drew swift political reaction. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London on the day of the verdict, condemned the attack, stating, “We will not tolerate this hostile activity. Your security is our security.” The message was clear: the UK views such acts of sabotage not just as criminal, but as direct threats to national and European security.
As European nations brace for further attempts at destabilization, the case of the Leyton warehouse arson serves as a stark warning. The sentences handed down—historic under the new National Security Act—signal that the UK is prepared to respond forcefully to foreign-directed sabotage, even as the shadow of online recruitment and covert influence looms large over the continent.