Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed satisfaction after two men, Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, were convicted of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on his property and a car in 2025. A BBC Panorama investigation revealed Russia's involvement, led by a Russian-speaking Telegram user 'El Money', believed to be Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin, who recruited proxies online promising payment and Russian citizenship for further attacks. Former MI6 head Sir Richard Moore highlighted these sabotage, arson, and cyber attacks as Russian attempts to intimidate the UK amid the Ukraine war. The UK government announced new sanctions targeting Russian shadow fleets and finance networks following these events. The case emphasizes a growing concern over hostile state proxies operating in the UK and the need to strengthen security and intelligence to counter such threats.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed satisfaction after two men, Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, were convicted of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on his property and a car in 2025. A BBC Panorama investigation revealed Russia's involvement, led by a Russian-speaking Telegram user 'El Money', believed to be Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin, who recruited proxies online promising payment and Russian citizenship for further attacks. Former MI6 head Sir Richard Moore highlighted these sabotage, arson, and cyber attacks as Russian attempts to intimidate the UK amid the Ukraine war. The UK government announced new sanctions targeting Russian shadow fleets and finance networks following these events. The case emphasizes a growing concern over hostile state proxies operating in the UK and the need to strengthen security and intelligence to counter such threats.