Three Britons Found Guilty Of Setting Fire To A Warehouse On Behalf Of PMC Wagner
- 9.07.2025, 8:34
They also planned to kidnap a prominent opposition activist from the Russian Federation.
In the UK, three men have been found guilty of setting fire to a warehouse in London with equipment intended for Ukraine. They were acting on behalf of the PMC Wagner, reports The Guardian.
This is the first case in which the Britons were found guilty of acting for the Russian terrorist group.
The case concerns the arson of a warehouse in the Leighton neighborhood in east London in March 2023. It was used to ship humanitarian aid and Starlink satellite equipment to Ukraine. The fire caused about £1 million (more than €1.1 million) worth of damage. It took eight fire brigades of 60 firefighters to extinguish it.
Two men - Nee Mensah and Jakeem Rose, both 23 - set the building on fire, with Mensah videotaping the whole thing. At the time, their accomplice, 20-year-old Ugnius Asmena, was waiting in Mensah's car. All three were found guilty of particularly dangerous arson with intent to endanger lives.
The attack was organized by 20-year-old Dylan Earl and 23-year-old Gatwick Airport cleaner Jake Reeves. They acted in the interests of PMC Wagner and also planned, but did not realize the arson of a restaurant and wine boutique in the Mayfair district, and in addition, the kidnapping of Evgeny Chichvarkin - a well-known Russian opposition activist living in London. Both pleaded guilty and became the first Britons convicted under the new National Security Act 2023.
The investigation found that Earl made contact with a representative of PMC Wagner via Telegram and expressed his willingness to carry out tasks. One of them was the burning of the warehouse. Later, he also prepared plans to attack Chichvarkin's British business, which, according to the court, is valued at more than 30 million pounds (almost 35 million euros) and provides jobs for 200 people.
At Earl's search they found a Russian flag, 20 thousand pounds in cash and cocaine worth about 34 thousand pounds. He was detained in Leicestershire, Reeves at a train station in Croydon. Videos of the arson were found on their phones.
The prosecutor said the arsonists acted for money, but the organizers acted in the interests of Russia.
Sentencing for the arson will take place in the autumn.