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Six Britons acting for the Wagner mercenary group linked to Russia have been sentenced to prison for igniting a London-based warehouse that was holding humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine.

Sentencing and Roles

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

The individual named Dylan Earl received a 17-year prison sentence with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “primary involvement”. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to 12 years in prison with one year on supervised release. Their admitted crimes resulted in them being the first individuals to be found guilty under the National Security Act 2023.

Jakeem Rose, also a Croydon resident, was jailed for a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, from Thornton Heath, south London, was given nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was handed seven years. The trio were each convicted of aggravated arson and given a further year on extended licence by the judge.

Ashton Evans individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years imprisonment plus a further year on supervised release after being convicted of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism relating to another plot in the Mayfair area.

Details of the Attack

The deliberate fire on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and caused £1m in damage in March of the previous year.

The court heard that the 21-year-old Earl and Reeves, 24 did not leave their bedrooms while coordinating the incident for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian government.

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

When the same Ukrainian company was hit by an intentional fire 10 days later in the Spanish capital, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command took over the probe.

Proof and Additional Schemes

When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his cellphone uncovered he had recordings of the warehouse fire being initiated and was in contact with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an account with the usernames ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.

Some of the messages showed that preliminary surveillance for further “missions”, involving fire-related incidents at a restaurant and wine store in Mayfair district belonging to the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The use of explosives to damage buildings was also discussed.

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

The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire had talked about another potential attack in the Czech nation.

In a search of his home, law enforcement found a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine hydrochloride with a street value of about £34,000.

Motivations and Judicial Remarks

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

“This legal matter concerns the efforts of the Russian Federation to gain pernicious global influence using online platforms to recruit disruptors far from the Russian capital.”

She found the arson attack 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.