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Six Britons working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been handed jail terms for setting fire to a London-based warehouse that was holding humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine.

Sentencing and Roles

Sentencing the men, the presiding judge at the Old Bailey remarked that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” in the interests of the Russian government.

The individual named Dylan Earl received a 17-year jail term with an additional six years on extended licence due to his “primary involvement”. Jake Reeves, a resident of Croydon, South London, was sentenced to 12 years in jail with an additional year on supervised release. Their admitted crimes made them the first individuals to be found guilty under the National Security Act 2023.

Jakeem Rose, also from Croydon, was jailed for eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, 23, a Thornton Heath, South London local, was sentenced to nine years and Ugnius Asmena, who was homeless, was given seven years in prison. The trio were each convicted of serious fire-setting and given a additional year on extended licence by the court.

Ashton Evans drug dealer hailing from Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment with an extra year on extended licence after being convicted of withholding details regarding terrorist acts relating to another plot in Mayfair.

Details of the Attack

The deliberate fire on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and resulted in one million pounds worth of destruction in March last year.

The court heard that Earl, 21 and the 24-year-old Reeves remained in their residences while coordinating the incident for the Wagner mercenary organization, representing the Russian government.

The group selected the storage facility because it was being utilized for providing emergency relief and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.

When the identical Ukrainian firm was hit by an intentional fire ten days afterward in the Spanish capital, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command assumed control of the investigation.

Evidence and Further Plans

When Earl was arrested, police analysis of his cellphone revealed he had videos of the storage facility blaze being initiated and was in contact with the Wagner group on the Telegram messaging app, via an user profile with the handles ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.

Some of the communications showed that reconnaissance for further “missions”, involving fire-related incidents at a dining establishment and wine store in Mayfair belonging to the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The use of explosives to harm structures was also discussed.

Detectives found that Earl was also raising the possibility of kidnapping Chichvarkin and “sending him back to Russia to face prison”.

The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.

In a residence inspection, law enforcement located a flag of Russia, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a street value of about £34,000.

Driving Factors and Court Comments

The proceedings revealed he was a member of numerous channels promoting Russian propaganda and was driven by “simple and ugly greed”.

“This legal matter concerns the attempts by the Russian government to gain pernicious global influence using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow.”

She found the fire incident had a “link to terrorism” irrespective of if the individuals responsible were aware of it. The Wagner group is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist organisation.