A trial has opened at the Old Bailey revealing that a series of arson attacks on properties connected to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May 2025 were planned and paid for by an unidentified Russian-speaking individual who recruited Ukrainian men through the Telegram messaging app and promised them money to carry out the attacks. The case puts a deliberate and financially motivated conspiracy at the centre of what police initially treated as three separate fires in north London over five days.
As reported by the BBC, three men are currently on trial in connection with the attacks. Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Petro Pochynok, 35, are Ukrainian nationals. Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, is a Ukrainian-born Romanian national. All three live in London and all three deny the charges against them. They are charged with conspiring together and with others to damage property by fire between 1 April and 13 May 2025. Lavrynovych faces additional charges of damaging property by fire with intent to endanger life.
