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Six Britons working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been handed jail terms for setting fire to a located in London warehouse that was storing relief supplies destined for Ukraine.

Sentencing and Roles

Sentencing the men, the presiding judge at the Old Bailey stated that they had orchestrated a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian government.

The individual named Dylan Earl was given a 17-year prison sentence with an additional six years on extended licence due to his “primary involvement”. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to twelve years in prison with one year on supervised release. Their admitted crimes resulted in them being the initial persons to be convicted under the 2023 National Security Act.

Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was sentenced to a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, south London, was given nine years and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was given seven years in prison. The trio were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and given a further year on extended licence by the judge.

Ashton Evans, a 20-year-old individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment plus a further year on supervised release after being convicted of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts connected to a separate scheme in Mayfair.

Details of the Attack

The arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton, east London endangered sixty fire service personnel and resulted in one million pounds worth of destruction in March last year.

The proceedings revealed that the 21-year-old Earl and Reeves, 24 remained in their residences while coordinating the incident for the Wagner mercenary organization, acting on behalf of the Russian government.

The group targeted the storage facility because it was being utilized for providing humanitarian aid and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.

When the same Ukrainian company was subjected to an intentional fire ten days afterward in Madrid, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command assumed control of the probe.

Proof and Additional Schemes

When Earl was arrested, law enforcement examination of his mobile phone uncovered he had recordings of the storage facility blaze being started and was in communication with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an user profile with the usernames ‘Privet Bot account’ and ‘Lucky Strike’.

Some of the messages indicated that preliminary surveillance for additional operations, involving arson attacks at a restaurant and wine store in Mayfair district owned by the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The use of explosives to harm structures was also deliberated.

Investigators discovered that Earl was also considering the possibility of kidnapping Chichvarkin and “sending him back to Russia to face prison”.

The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed another potential attack in the Czech Republic.

In a residence inspection, 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 court heard he was a member of numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “plain and severe avarice”.

“This legal matter concerns the efforts of the Russian Federation to acquire harmful worldwide sway using online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”

She found the fire incident had a “terrorist connection” regardless of whether the perpetrators were aware of it. The Wagner group is banned by the British authorities as a terrorist group.