Russia’s Wagner Group planned arson attack on London business with links to Ukraine, court is told

LONDON -- The proceedings has started of six men accused of arson astatine an eastbound London concern with links to Ukraine’s warfare effort against Russia, with prosecutors saying Wednesday that the grounds against them was “overwhelming.”

At the commencement of the proceedings astatine London's Central Criminal Court, which is amended known arsenic the Old Bailey, prosecutors said the March 20, 2024 onslaught was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which the British authorities has deemed a violent organization.

Prosecutors said the Wagner Group recruited 4 men — Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, Nii Mensah, 23 and Paul English, 61 — who person been charged with mounting occurrence to the concern portion successful Leyton, successful the eastbound of the capital, which supplied StarLink outer instrumentality to Ukraine.

An further 2 different men — Ashton Evans, 20, and Dmitrijus Paulauskas, 23 — are facing charges that they withheld accusation astir upcoming violent attacks.

The tribunal was told that astir 1 cardinal pounds ($1.35 million) worthy of harm was caused by the blaze. Prosecutors besides said determination were plans for akin attacks connected 2 different businesses successful the upmarket London vicinity of Mayfair — a vino store called Hedonism and a edifice called Hide. Both are owned by an unidentified Russian dissident who has been vocal successful his disapproval of President Vladimir Putin and the warfare successful Ukraine. He has, prosecutors said, driven assistance trucks from the U.K. to Ukraine.

“This was deliberate and calculated criminality, astatine the behest of overseas influence," said authoritative Duncan Penny. "In the lawsuit of these defendants astatine the clip of the occurrence they whitethorn person been ignorant of that power and the motive whitethorn person been fiscal – bully old-fashioned greed. For others, however, it appears to person been some governmental and ideological.”

Jurors heard the onslaught was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 23, who person already admitted aggravated arson connected behalf of the Wagner Group. Earl has besides admitted to plotting to acceptable occurrence to the 2 Mayfair businesses.

Earl, helium said, was the “architect” of the onslaught and had travel into interaction with the Wagner Group via a transmission connected the Telegram messaging app.

“It appears that Dylan Earl expressed a willingness to undertake ‘missions’ of which the Leyton arson onslaught was the first,” said Penny. “It is evident that Dylan Earl knew helium was acting against Ukrainian, and for Russian, interests.”

Earl was the archetypal idiosyncratic to beryllium charged nether the U.K.'s National Security Act 2023, which created caller measures to combat espionage, governmental interference and benefiting from overseas quality services. It besides gave authorities further powers to hunt and prehend spot and detain and apprehension suspects.

Penny said the grounds against those facing charges was “overwhelming” and that CCTV, postulation cameras and telephone grounds volition beryllium presented to the jury. He said 1 of the suspects, Mensah, filmed the arson onslaught connected his mobile telephone and livestreamed it connected FaceTime.