A British court has sentenced six men to prison terms ranging from 7 to 23 years for torching a London warehouse packed with humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine. They were working on orders from Russia’s Wagner Group private military company, according to The Guardian and Sky News.
Dylan Earl, 21, from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, received the longest sentence of 17 years in prison plus six years on extended licence for his role as organizer.
Jake Reeves, 24, from Croydon, south London, was sentenced to 12 years plus one year on extended licence.
Dylan Earl, 21, (right) orchestrated the Wagner-ordered arson from his bedroom in Leicestershire, recruiting Jake Reeves, 24, (left) as his co-conspirator. Both became the first people convicted under Britain’s National Security Act 2023. Photo: CPS/PA
Four other men received shorter terms.
Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, was sentenced to nine years plus one year on extended licence, while Jakeem Rose, 23, from Croydon, received eight years and 10 months plus one year on extended licence.
Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was given seven years plus one year on extended licence. Ashton Evans, 20, from Newport, Gwent, was jailed for nine years plus one year on extended licence for failing to disclose information about terrorist acts relating to a separate plot.
Earl and Reeves became the first people convicted under Britain’s National Security Act 2023, according to both publications. The law was designed to counter espionage, foreign interference, sabotage, and other modern threats to UK security.
Warehouse stored Ukraine-bound aid
The arson occurred in March 2024 at industrial units in Leyton, east London. The fire required eight fire crews with 60 firefighters to bring it under control and caused approximately £1 million ($1,3 million) in damage.
The targeted warehouse belonged to a company supplying humanitarian aid and Starlink satellite equipment to Ukraine. Sky News reported that Earl and Reeves selected the location specifically because of its connection to Ukrainian aid operations.
Fire damage inside the Leyton warehouse storing humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The arson caused £1 million in damage. Photo: PA
Earl builds network from his bedroom
Earl orchestrated the attack from his bedroom while communicating with Wagner Group operatives through the messaging app Telegram. He used the account usernames “Privet Bot” and “Lucky Strike” for these communications.
The recruitment followed a chain structure. Earl recruited Reeves, who then brought in his friend Mensah. Mensah subsequently recruited Rose, while Asmena was separately brought into the operation.
Wagner operatives plan attacks across Europe
The London arson was not an isolated incident. Ten days after the Leyton attack, the same Ukrainian company’s warehouse in Madrid was targeted by arsonists. This second attack prompted detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command to take over the investigation.
Police analysis of Earl’s mobile phone revealed he had discussed additional attacks in the Czech Republic. The phone also contained videos showing the warehouse fire being started.
The Wagner group’s logo. Photo: Denis Morgunov
Investigators discovered Earl had planned further operations in London’s Mayfair district, targeting a restaurant and wine shop owned by Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin.
Messages recovered from Earl’s phone showed reconnaissance for these attacks had already been conducted. The communications also discussed using explosives to damage buildings and potentially kidnapping Chichvarkin to “exile him back to Russia to face prison.”
Evidence and motivation
A search of Earl’s home uncovered a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash, and cocaine with a street value of approximately £34,000. The court heard that Earl was a member of multiple pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “simple and ugly greed.”
Earl told Wagner Group operatives he was prepared to carry out a series of “missions,” beginning with the Leyton fire.
Aerial view of the damaged warehouse in east London that stored humanitarian aid and Starlink equipment bound for Ukraine. Photo: Met Police/PA
Judge rules attack served Russian state interests
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb at London’s Central Criminal Court concluded that the arson attack had a “terrorist connection” regardless of whether the perpetrators were aware of this designation. The Wagner Group is proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist organization.
In her sentencing remarks, the judge stated:
“This case is about the efforts of the Russian Federation to gain pernicious global influence using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow,” according to Sky News.
The judge described the attack as part of a “planned campaign of terrorism and sabotage” carried out in the interests of the Russian state.
Defense lawyers blame Russian manipulation
Defense lawyers for the convicted men emphasized their clients’ vulnerability to foreign manipulation. Paul Hynes KC, representing Earl, described his client as “easy meat for the very sophisticated operatives of the Wagner Group acting as proxies for the Russian Federation.”
He characterized Earl as someone who sought “praise, importance and significance” and viewed the world through the “prism of online gaming.”
Henry Blaxland KC, representing Reeves, pointed to “the extent to which the Russian state and agents of the Russian state have managed to penetrate the UK through taking advantage of adolescents buried in their computers.” He argued that Reeves’ judgment was impaired by excessive ketamine use.
