A Group of Six Britons Sentenced to Prison for One Million Pound Fire Attack on Warehouse Holding Ukrainian Humanitarian Aid

Six Britons working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to a London-based warehouse that was holding relief supplies intended for Ukraine.

Court Rulings and Involvement

Sentencing the men, the judge at the Old Bailey remarked that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian state.

The individual named Dylan Earl received a 17-year jail term with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, a resident of Croydon, South London, was sentenced to 12 years in jail with one year on supervised release. The offences they admitted resulted in them being the first individuals to be convicted under the National Security Act 2023.

Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was sentenced to a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, from Thornton Heath, south London, was given nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was without a fixed address, was handed seven years. The trio were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and given a further year on extended licence by the court.

Ashton Evans individual involved in drug trafficking hailing from Newport, Gwent, was jailed for nine years with an extra year on supervised release after being found guilty of failing to disclose details regarding terrorist acts connected to a separate scheme in Mayfair.

Details of the Attack

The deliberate fire on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and resulted in one million pounds worth of destruction in March last year.

The proceedings revealed that the 21-year-old Earl and Reeves, 24 did not leave their bedrooms while coordinating the incident for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian government.

The individuals involved selected the storage facility because it was being used to supply emergency relief and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine.

When the same Ukrainian company was subjected to an arson attack 10 days later in Madrid, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command took over the investigation.

Proof and Additional Schemes

When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his cellphone uncovered he had recordings of the warehouse fire being started and was in communication with the Wagner group on the Telegram messaging app, via an account with the handles ‘Privet Bot account’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.

Some of the communications indicated that reconnaissance for further “missions”, involving arson attacks at a dining establishment and wine store in Mayfair district owned by the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The use of explosives to damage buildings was also discussed.

Detectives found that Earl was also raising the potential abduction of Chichvarkin and “sending him back to Russia to face prison”.

The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.

In a search of his home, police found a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine with a street value of approximately thirty-four thousand pounds.

Driving Factors and Court Comments

The court heard he was a member of numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “plain and severe avarice”.

“This legal matter concerns the efforts of the Russian Federation to acquire harmful worldwide sway using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow.”

She determined the fire incident had a “terrorist connection” irrespective of if the individuals responsible were aware of it. The Wagner group is proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist group.