Overview
- A jury at the Old Bailey found Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc guilty on Monday, June 15, 2026, for conspiring to set fires to a Toyota and two homes tied to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Lavrynovych convicted on additional counts of reckless arson.
- Prosecutors said a Russian‑speaking Telegram user known as 'El Money' recruited the men, offered roughly £3,000 in cryptocurrency for filmed evidence and gave step‑by‑step instructions on targets and how to avoid detection.
- Lavrynovych admitted carrying out the attacks and told the court he pursued the payment to help his family and that he had been threatened by the Telegram handler, while a third defendant, Petro Pochynok, was acquitted.
- Major media investigations have linked the 'El Money' account to a wider Russian online sabotage network and a possible young diplomat, but Counter Terrorism Policing London says it has found no evidence of state sponsorship and attribution remains unproven.
- The two convicted men were remanded for sentencing on Friday and the case is now likely to drive further police enquiries, parliamentary concern over intimidation of public figures, and scrutiny of how messaging apps are used to hire criminal proxies.