Latest news with #UgniusAsmena
Novaya Gazeta Europe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Three British men found guilty of Wagner-linked arson attack in London — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Three British men have been found guilty of committing an arson attack on behalf of the Russian Wagner Group on a warehouse in London being used to supply humanitarian aid and satellite to Ukraine, BBC News reported on Tuesday. Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, were all found guilty on Tuesday at the Old Bailey court in London of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life. The attack, which caused around £1 million (€860,000) in damages in March 2024, was orchestrated by two other men, Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 23, who had already admitted to committing aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries. The men are the first to be convicted under the UK's National Security Act 2023 for such foreign-directed hostile activity. According to The Guardian, the court heard that Earl had told a Wagner Group operative he met on Telegram he wanted to carry out further 'missions' for the mercenaries following the warehouse fire. Further plots, the BBC reported, involved additional arson attacks on a west London restaurant and wine shop owned by Yevgeny Chichvarkin, a multi-millionaire and Russian dissident who was named a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Justice Ministry in June 2022, and a plot to abduct him. 'This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using 'proxies', in this case British men, to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf,' Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London's Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said on Tuesday. 'Seemingly motivated by the promise of money, they were prepared to commit criminal acts on behalf of Russia,' he said. 'I hope these convictions send a strong warning of the very serious consequences of committing offences on behalf of a foreign country.' In late May, The Financial Times reported that British security officials were looking into whether Russia was behind three arson attacks on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer perpetrated by two Ukrainian men and a Romanian national. In early June, Schemes, the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Ukrainian-language service, discovered that one of the men, Roman Lavrynovych, had posted in a job recruitment chat on Telegram that he was seeking employment. Such group chats are reportedly commonly used by Russian intelligence agencies to hire proxies, RFE/RL reported. In the last year, Moscow has been accused of carrying out numerous acts of sabotage and arson attacks on public buildings, transport networks and other infrastructure in several European countries, including Poland and Lithuania, as part of what experts believe is a hybrid warfare strategy designed to destabilise the West.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business Standard
UK court convicts 3 men in Russia-linked arson plot targeting Ukraine aid
A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine. Authorities said Russian intelligence was behind the plot. Prosecutors said the March 20, 2024, attack was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has deemed Wagner a terrorist organisation. The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored. The StarLinks are frequently used by Ukraine's military in fending off Russia's invasion. Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies. A jury at London's Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23; Ugnius Asmena, 20; and Nii Mensah, 23 guilty of aggravated arson. A fourth man, Paul English, 61, was acquitted. The fire caused around 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) worth of damage. Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 23, who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial started. They also pleaded guilty to offenses under the UK's National Security Act 2023. Two other men were on trial over the arson and related plots. One was found guilty Tuesday of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Euronews
UK court convicts three of arson organised by Russia's Wagner group
A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson for their role in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine. Prosecutors said the 20 March 2024 attack was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has proscribed Wagner as a terrorist organisation. The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored. The StarLink is frequently used by Ukraine's military in fending off Russia's full-scale invasion. Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies. A jury at London's Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, guilty of aggravated arson. A fourth man, 61-year-old Paul English, was acquitted. The fire caused around £1 million (€1.16 million) worth of damage. Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and 23-year-old Jake Reeves, who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial started. They also pleaded guilty to offences under the UK's National Security Act 2023. Two other men were on trial over the arson and related plots. One was found guilty on Tuesday of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared.
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
UK court convicts 3 men over arson attack authorities say was organized by Russian intelligence
LONDON (AP) — A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine. Authorities said Russian intelligence was behind the plot. Prosecutors said the March 20, 2024, attack was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group , acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has deemed Wagner a terrorist organization . The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored. The StarLinks are frequently used by Ukraine's military in fending off Russia's invasion. Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies. A jury at London's Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23; Ugnius Asmena, 20; and Nii Mensah, 23 guilty of aggravated arson. A fourth man, Paul English, 61, was acquitted. The fire caused around 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) worth of damage. Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 23 , who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial started. They also pleaded guilty to offenses under the U.K.'s National Security Act 2023. Two other men were on trial over the arson and related plots. One was found guilty Tuesday of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
UK court convicts 3 men over arson attack authorities say was organized by Russian intelligence
LONDON (AP) — A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine. Authorities said Russian intelligence was behind the plot. Prosecutors said the March 20, 2024, attack was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has deemed Wagner a terrorist organization. The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored. The StarLinks are frequently used by Ukraine's military in fending off Russia's invasion. Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies. A jury at London's Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23; Ugnius Asmena, 20; and Nii Mensah, 23 guilty of aggravated arson. A fourth man, Paul English, 61, was acquitted. The fire caused around 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) worth of damage. Prosecutors said the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 23, who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial started. They also pleaded guilty to offenses under the U.K.'s National Security Act 2023. Two other men were on trial over the arson and related plots. One was found guilty Tuesday of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared.
