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Six Britons acting for Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for igniting a London-based storage unit that was holding humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine.

Sentencing and Roles

While delivering the sentences, the judge at the central criminal court stated that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” in the interests of the Russian government.

Dylan Earl was given a 17-year prison sentence 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 prison with an additional year on supervised release. The offences they admitted resulted in them being the first individuals to be convicted under the 2023 National Security Act.

Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was sentenced to eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, a Thornton Heath, South London local, was sentenced to nine years and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was without a fixed address, was handed seven years. The trio were each convicted of serious fire-setting and received a additional year on supervised release by the judge.

Ashton Evans, a 20-year-old individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years with an extra year on supervised release after being found guilty of withholding details regarding acts of terrorism relating to a separate scheme in the Mayfair area.

Details of the Attack

The deliberate fire on a warehouse in Leyton, east London endangered sixty fire service personnel and caused one million pounds worth of destruction in March last year.

The court heard that Earl, 21 and Reeves, 24 remained in their residences while coordinating the incident for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian Federation.

The group selected the warehouse because it was being utilized for providing emergency relief and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine.

When the identical Ukrainian firm was subjected to an intentional fire ten days afterward in the Spanish capital, investigators from the Metropolitan Police's anti-terror unit assumed control of the investigation.

Evidence and Further Plans

When Earl was arrested, police analysis of his mobile phone revealed he had recordings of the warehouse fire being initiated and was in contact with the Wagner organization on the Telegram messaging app, via an user profile with the usernames ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.

Some of the messages indicated that reconnaissance for further “missions”, involving arson attacks at a restaurant and wine store in Mayfair belonging to the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The use of explosives to damage buildings was also discussed.

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

The individual involved in narcotics from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.

In a search of his home, law enforcement located a flag of Russia, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a street value of about £34,000.

Driving Factors and Court Comments

The court heard he was a member of multiple channels promoting Russian propaganda and was motivated by “simple and ugly greed”.

“This case is about the efforts of the Russian Federation to acquire harmful worldwide sway using online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”

She determined the fire incident had a “link to terrorism” regardless of whether the perpetrators knew it. The Wagner organization is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist group.