On Wednesday, six individuals faced trial for an arson incident, which prosecutors allege was executed on behalf of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group aimed at a business in London that was engaged in shipping goods to Ukraine.
The warehouse that was set ablaze in March of the previous year, located on an industrial site in east London, belonged to Oddisey. This company was involved in delivering packages and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, including satellite equipment supplied by Elon Musk’s Starlink. Russia launched a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The defendants—Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20—plead not guilty to charges of aggravated arson. Meanwhile, Dmitrijus Paulauskas, 23, and Ashton Evans, 20, deny knowledge of any terrorist activities but acknowledge failing to report such information.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny, addressing the Old Bailey court in London, characterized the arson as a criminal act perpetrated “at the behest of foreign influence.”
He stated that the scheme was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, who was “aware he was acting at the request of the Wagner Group,” which is designated as a terrorist organization by the UK.
Last October, Earl confessed to the charge of aggravated arson and also pleaded guilty under the new National Security Act (NSA) for preparing actions that risked lives, aimed at addressing hostile activities by foreign entities.
“Penny noted that Dylan Earl seemed eager to undertake ‘missions,’ with the Leyton arson serving as the initial one. It was clear he was acting against Ukrainian interests and in favor of Russian ones,” Penny commented.
Additionally, Jake Reeves, 23, entered a guilty plea in November to aggravated arson charges and admitted to a charge under the NSA for receiving a material benefit from a foreign intelligence agency, indicating he accepted payments from Wagner that were arranged by Russian security services, according to Penny.
Penny added that Earl and Reeves were part of a broader conspiracy to conduct arson attacks on the Hedonism wine shop and Hider restaurant, both located in the affluent Mayfair district of London, with an estimated combined value exceeding £30 million ($40.7 million).
The prosecutor revealed that the plot also entailed kidnapping the owner, a renowned Russian dissident and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, who had previously driven aid trucks from the UK to Ukraine.
In communications presented to the court, Earl instructed that the target should be delivered to him so he could “send him to Russia to face imprisonment.”
In the past few years, British authorities have accused Russia or its agents of orchestrating several espionage schemes and acts of sabotage both in the UK and across Europe. The UK’s domestic intelligence chief has indicated that Russian operatives are attempting to incite “chaos.”
The Kremlin has refuted these allegations, and its embassy in London has denied any involvement in the warehouse fire, asserting that the British government consistently blames Russia for all “negative” occurrences in the UK.
Wagner was significantly involved in the early stages of Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine until its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a brief mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in 2023.
Penny informed the jury that expert testimony would be presented to demonstrate that the group’s operations, which included sabotage throughout Europe, were now directly directed by the Russian government.
He mentioned that the six defendants might not have been aware of the political implications and may have been driven by greed related to the warehouse fire, which resulted in an insurance claim believed to exceed £1 million ($1.36 million).
The jury was shown messages exchanged among the defendants, which Penny claimed indicated their involvement, as well as video footage from security cameras and their mobile devices that purportedly captured them traveling to the warehouse and igniting the fire using petrol.
The trial is anticipated to continue for up to five weeks.
