Two men have been convicted of conspiring to set fire to properties linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in attacks orchestrated by a Russian-speaking Telegram contact using the pseudonym 'El Money'. The court heard that the mastermind wanted to see the results of their crimes 'on the news'.
The Attacks
In May 2025, three arson incidents occurred targeting properties associated with Starmer. The first was a car fire involving a Toyota RAV4 once owned by Starmer. The second was a blaze at the front door of a north London property he had previously managed. The third was a fire at the home where Starmer lived before moving to Downing Street, where his sister-in-law Judith Alexander was residing.
Alexander was awake in bed when she heard two loud bangs around 1am. 'We could see the smoke was getting thicker and going upstairs,' she said in a statement read to the court. 'The fact that [my daughter's] room was right above the fire and if I did not wake up, what might have happened.'
The Convictions
On Monday, Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian national, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian, were found guilty of conspiracy to damage property at the Old Bailey. Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered. Co-defendant Petro Pochynok, 35, was cleared.
The Role of 'El Money'
The case centered on a Telegram contact using the pseudonym 'El Money', which translates to 'Hroshi' in Ukrainian. El Money allegedly ordered the arson attacks and communicated in Russian with Lavrynovych from as early as September 2024. James Scobie KC, representing Lavrynovych, said: 'There's one winner in this case. The anonymous devil who manipulated, used and won.'
Scobie added: 'What do we know about him? Nothing. Where's he from? Who might have an interest in trying to undermine this country, undermine this country's support of Ukraine? But Russia – let's call it out – Russia are interested in what this country does in support of Ukraine. This person, or people, spoke excellent Russian.'
The prosecution described El Money as 'seeking to destabilise our society', but the jury was told not to consider who El Money was or their motivations. The alleged Russian interest points to a series of incidents in recent years, highlighting a new front in Russia's war against the west, according to European intelligence agencies.
Recruitment and Instructions
Lavrynovych told police he was recruited through a Telegram London jobs group. El Money first asked him to print and place ads described as 'something about Islam', which Lavrynovych refused. Later, he was asked to check for CCTV at two addresses for £1,500. Lavrynovych said he needed the money and felt threatened by El Money, who knew where he lived with his grandmother.
Regarding the car fire, Lavrynovych said El Money instructed him to 'finish the job' after an initial attempt failed to make the news. 'That the car, this arson, would be broadcast on the news,' Lavrynovych told the court. He asked why, but received no response.
Lack of Political Motivation
During police interviews, Lavrynovych said he had no interest in British politics, no grudges against Starmer, and had never heard of the prime minister before his arrest. When asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he described Putin as 'a terrorist'.
Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, said there was no evidence Russia was behind the attacks. However, an investigation by the Financial Times alleged that El Money was closely linked to a pro-Kremlin hacktivist group called NoName057(16).
