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Six Britons working on behalf of the Wagner mercenary group linked to Russia have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to a located in London warehouse that was storing relief supplies intended for Ukraine.

Sentencing and Roles

Sentencing the men, the presiding judge at the central criminal court stated that they had orchestrated a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian government.

Dylan Earl was given a 17-year jail term with an extra six-year period on extended licence due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to twelve years in jail with one year on extended licence. Their admitted crimes made them the initial persons to be found guilty under the National Security Act 2023.

Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was jailed for a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, south London, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was handed seven years in prison. These three individuals were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and received a additional year on supervised release by the judge.

Ashton Evans individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was sentenced to nine years with an extra year on supervised release after being convicted of withholding details regarding terrorist acts connected to another plot in Mayfair.

Details of the Attack

The deliberate fire on a Leyton-based storage facility in East London endangered sixty fire service personnel and resulted in £1m in damage in March last year.

The court heard that the 21-year-old Earl and Reeves, 24 remained in their residences while organising the attack for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian government.

The individuals involved targeted the warehouse because it was being utilized for providing humanitarian aid and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine.

When the identical Ukrainian firm was hit by an arson attack 10 days later 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, law enforcement examination of his mobile phone uncovered he had videos of the warehouse fire being initiated and was in communication with the Wagner organization on the Telegram messaging app, via an user profile with the handles ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.

Some of the messages indicated that preliminary surveillance for further “missions”, involving fire-related incidents at a dining establishment and wine store in Mayfair owned by the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The employment of explosive devices to harm structures was also deliberated.

Detectives discovered that Earl was also raising the potential abduction of the dissident Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.

The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed another potential attack in the Czech Republic.

In a search of his home, police found a flag of Russia, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a market value of about £34,000.

Motivations and Judicial Remarks

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

“This case is about the attempts by the Russian government to acquire harmful worldwide sway using online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”

She determined the fire incident had a “terrorist connection” irrespective of if the individuals responsible knew it. The Wagner group is banned by the British authorities as a terrorist group.