UK court convicts three of arson organised by Russia’s Wagner group

Published on
08/07/2025 – 15:58 GMT+2

A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson for their role in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine.

Prosecutors said the 20 March 2024 attack was planned by agents of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence.

The British government has proscribed Wagner as a terrorist organisation.

The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored.

The StarLink is frequently used by Ukraine’s military in fending off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies.

A jury at London’s Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, guilty of aggravated arson.

A fourth man, 61-year-old Paul English, was acquitted.

The fire caused around £1 million (€1.16 million) worth of damage.

Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and 23-year-old Jake Reeves, who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial started.

They also pleaded guilty to offences under the UK’s National Security Act 2023.

Two other men were on trial over the arson and related plots. One was found guilty on Tuesday of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared.