In May last year, a Toyota Rav4 once owned by Britain's new prime minister was set alight in north London. Three nights later, two houses linked to Sir Keir Starmer were firebombed, one occupied by his sister-in-law and her family. The attacks, carried out while people slept, could have killed. But the story behind them is even more alarming: they were directed by a Russian diplomat, using fake far-right and Muslim groups he created online to stir up division and fear. This was not a one-off act of violence, but part of an extensive Russian sabotage and provocation campaign targeting the UK, as revealed by a BBC investigation.
The attacks were carried out by two men who have now been convicted at the Old Bailey: Roman Lavrynovych, 22, a Ukrainian builder, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian-born Ukrainian national. They were found guilty of conspiring to commit arson on property and a car connected to Sir Keir Starmer. A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted. The arson was directed by a handler known as 'EL Money', who communicated with Lavrynovych through the Telegram messaging app. Evidence uncovered by the BBC identifies EL as Evgeny Lyukshin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat and the son of a senior Moscow official. Lyukshin, who did not respond to the BBC's questions, is reported to have been schooled in information warfare by spies and propagandists. He offered Lavrynovych Russian citizenship in return for further attacks and glorified President Vladimir Putin.
“A look at Russian-directed arson and sabotage campaigns in the UK”
The Russian embassy rejected the findings, stating: "We reject any attempt to associate Russia or its foreign ministry with unlawful activities" and that Russia poses "no threat to the United Kingdom or its people and harbours no aggressive intentions towards Britain." But the BBC's investigation shows that Russian operatives ran a broader campaign of sabotage and provocation remotely through social media and Telegram. They created fake online far-right and Muslim groups, which were used to organise acts of vandalism in the UK and to sow division. One such group, called Direct Action, was used to orchestrate real-life attacks when six mosques and an Islamic school were vandalised with racist graffiti. The morning after one of the attacks, EL posted an ad in a Telegram group for Ukrainians looking for work in London, asking for people to take pictures of the vandalism to circulate online. The anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate reported Direct Action to counter-terrorism police, but says it received no reply. The Metropolitan Police has since said it is investigating the vandalism as anti-Muslim hate crimes, but no arrests have been made.
Why does this matter for UK readers? The campaign reveals the extent of Russian hybrid warfare on British soil — not just cyber-attacks or disinformation, but real-world violence designed to polarise communities and undermine trust. The use of fake far-right and Muslim groups attempts to blame minority groups for attacks, stoking racial and religious tensions. This is not a distant threat: the arson attacks targeted the prime minister's own property, and the vandalism of mosques directly affected Muslim communities in London. It shows that ordinary people are being recruited through social media to carry out political violence for foreign powers, with no loyalty to the UK. The UK's security services and police are now under scrutiny for how they handled warnings about these groups before the attacks.
Q: Who is behind the attacks on Sir Keir Starmer's property? The attack was directed by a Russian diplomat identified as Evgeny Lyukshin, who used the name 'EL Money' on Telegram to instruct the arsonists. Lyukshin is 23 years old, the son of a senior Moscow official, and is said to be close to the highest levels of power in Russia.
Q: What exactly happened in the arson attacks? On 8 May 2025, a Toyota Rav4 once owned by Sir Keir Starmer was set alight in Kentish Town. Three nights later, two houses were firebombed: one was a flat where Starmer used to live, and the other was a north London home he still owns, occupied by his sister-in-law's family. All three attacks occurred while people were inside.
Q: How is this part of a larger Russian campaign? The BBC investigation found that Russian operatives ran a campaign using fake far-right and Muslim social media groups to organise acts of vandalism, including racist graffiti on six mosques and an Islamic school. These groups were designed to stir up division and fear, and to blame minority groups for the violence. The same handler, EL, recruited people through Telegram to take photos of the vandalism to amplify online.
The Russian embassy has denied involvement. But the BBC's evidence points to a coordinated sabotage and provocation campaign. The Metropolitan Police is investigating the mosque vandalism as anti-Muslim hate crimes, but no arrests have been made. The identity of Lyukshin and his role as a diplomat make it a diplomatic issue, though his status means he may have immunity. Meanwhile, the two convicted men await sentencing, and UK authorities are likely to reassess how they monitor such online recruitment and false-flag operations.