🔗 Share this article

Six Britons working on behalf of the Wagner mercenary group linked to Russia have been sentenced to prison for igniting a located in London storage unit that was storing relief supplies destined for Ukraine.

Court Rulings and Involvement

While delivering the sentences, the judge at the central criminal court remarked that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian state.

The individual named Dylan Earl received a 17-year jail term with an additional six years on extended licence due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given 12 years in prison with an additional year on supervised release. The offences they admitted made them the first individuals to be found guilty under the National Security Act 2023.

Jakeem Rose, also a Croydon resident, was jailed for eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, 23, a Thornton Heath, South London local, was sentenced to nine years and Ugnius Asmena, who was homeless, was given seven years. These three individuals were each found guilty of aggravated arson and given a further year on extended licence by the court.

Ashton Evans drug dealer from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years imprisonment plus a further year on extended licence after being convicted of withholding details regarding acts of terrorism connected to another plot in Mayfair.

Details of the Attack

The arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and caused £1m in damage 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 government.

The group selected the storage facility because it was being used to supply emergency relief and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.

When the identical Ukrainian firm was hit by an intentional fire 10 days later in Madrid, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command took over the investigation.

Evidence and Further Plans

When Earl was arrested, police analysis of his mobile phone uncovered he had videos of the storage facility blaze being initiated and was in contact with the Wagner group on the Telegram messaging app, via an account with the handles ‘Privet Bot account’ 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 district belonging to the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The employment of explosive devices to harm structures was also discussed.

Investigators found that Earl was also raising the possibility of kidnapping Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.

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

In a residence inspection, law enforcement found a flag of Russia, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine with a street value of approximately thirty-four thousand pounds.

Motivations and Judicial Remarks

The proceedings revealed he was a participant in numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “simple and ugly greed”.

“This case is about the efforts of the Russian Federation to gain pernicious global influence using online platforms to recruit disruptors vast distances from Moscow.”

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