Two men have been jailed for a series of arson attacks on properties linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – attacks ordered by a shadowy Russian-speaking handler on Telegram. Roman Lavrynovych, 22, a Ukrainian national, was sentenced to seven years at the Old Bailey, while Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national, received two years. A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the conspiracy charge.
The judge, Mr Justice Garnham, called Lavrynovych a “useful idiot” who could be “easily bought”. He said: “You agreed to carry out this mindless piece of arson for money. You were not a man of great principle and you were easily bought.” Lavrynovych, he added, was “acting as a pawn for some unknown cause and putting the lives of people asleep in their beds at risk”.
“Two men jailed for arson attacks on Keir Starmer's properties, directed by a Russian handler on Telegram.”
The attacks unfolded over five days in May 2025. On 8 May, a Toyota car previously owned by the prime minister was set on fire on a street he used to live on in Kentish Town. Three days later, a fire was discovered at flats linked to Sir Keir in nearby Islington. On 12 May, a blaze was started at the entrance to Sir Keir’s Kentish Town home, which he still owned and was renting to his sister-in-law, Judith Alexander. She told the trial of “billowing black smoke going up the stairs” while she, her daughter and partner were inside. No one was hurt.
Lavrynovych was recruited by a figure using the Telegram handle “EL” or “El Money” – a Russian speaker who promised him payment. The court heard EL offered £3,000 in cryptocurrency to set fire to the car and two houses and instructed Lavrynovych on how to mix flammable liquids. After the final attack, EL messaged Lavrynovych: “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money; you need to leave the city.” He was arrested hours later, having never been paid. In a police interview, Lavrynovych said he had no idea who the prime minister was and had not heard of Keir Starmer.
Carpiuc played a “supporting role”, the judge said, encouraging his friend and agreeing to help convert the crypto into cash. The judge described the attacks as “utterly reckless”. Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was acquitted of damaging property by fire with intent to endanger life.
The conspiracy was revealed by the BBC on 15 June, and the case had been subject to reporting restrictions. In the months before the verdict, a baseless “rent boy theory” spread across right-wing social media, falsely claiming the attackers were male prostitutes linked to Starmer. But the prosecution established a far grimmer truth: the arsons were directed by Russian agents, using a clueless young man as their pawn.