Ukrainians ‘ordered to set fire to Starmer’s home’ by Russian Telegram account ‘El Money’

A series of arson attacks on property linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were orchestrated by a Russian-speaking contact called ‘El Money’,jurors heard (Picture: Wiktor Szymanowicz/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

Three men were hired to target Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a series of arson attacks by a Russian-speaking contact called ‘El Money’,the Old Bailey has heard.

Roman Lavrynovych,22,Petro Pochynok,35,and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc,27,are accused of carrying out the series of firebombings in north London last spring.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told jurors today that Lavrynovych was told what to do and where to target by the mysterious Telegram user who ‘promised payment’ in cryptocurrency.

He added that the motive for the attacks was ‘financial reward’ rather than any ‘particular political or ideological’ agenda.

Opening the trial,Mr Atkinson said the three fires over five days,all linked to Sir Keir,went ‘beyond coincidence’.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Last May 8,a Toyota Rav4 car which once belonged to the Prime Minister was allegedly set alight in Kentish Town.Three nights later,a blaze was reported at a house which was managed by a company of which the Prime Minister had once been a director and shareholder.In the early hours of last May 12,another house on the same road was deliberately set alight.Mr Atkinson said that property still belonged to the Prime Minister and was occupied by his sister-in-law.A view of the entrance to Sir Keir Starmer’s house in Kentish Town,north London,after a suspected arson attack (Picture: PA)Screengrab from a video of firefighters tackling a burning car in the same north London street where Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has a property (Picture: PA)Lavrynovych allegedly set fire to the front door of each of the two houses ‘in the dead of night’ using white spirit or similar when the occupants were asleep.Mr Atkinson said: ‘The prosecution’s case is that when he did so he must have intended to endanger – to risk – the lives of the people living inside those houses.‘Why else would you set fire to the front door,blocking the residents’ escape?’The arson attacks were ‘planned and directed’ and involved the ‘promised payment’ in cryptocurrency by a contact called ‘El Money’,jurors heard.Lavrynovych was told what to do and where to target by the anonymous Telegram user,the court was told.Jurors were shown CCTV footage allegedly showing him buying white spirit at a B&Q in south-east London two days before the car was set on fire.Later that day,Lavrynovych messaged Carpiuc saying: ‘I’m waiting,bitch,listen,it’s an ordinary car’ and searched for an address where the vehicle was parked,the court heard.The jury was shown messages between Carpiuc and Lavrynovych allegedly discussing payment and deleting their messaging history.The court heard that at 11.47pm last May 7,Lavrynovych messaged Pochynok: ‘Hello. It’s on.’He then set off from home and travelled by bus to where the vehicle was parked,jurors heard.An image from a video allegedly showing Lavrynovych standing in front of a burning Toyota Rav4 was shown in court.The woman who bought the Prime Minister’s car in September 2024 was woken to a ‘commotion’ in the street and looked out of her window to see the fire at 2.53am.Initially,the fire was not thought to be suspicious but after the other fires police seized the vehicle for examination by scientists,who found the fire was most likely deliberate,jurors heard.Mr Atkinson said: ‘Lavrynovych had been offered payment to set the fires by a contact using the name or pseudonym “El Money”.‘“El Money” communicated in Russian,in contrast to the Ukrainian otherwise used by the defendants.’Mr Atkinson said Lavrynovych may claim that he was ‘pressured’ into carrying out the attacks by a ‘shadowy figure who threatened him and his family if he did not comply’.Police officers stand outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s private home after it was damaged by fire (Picture: Reuters)However,more than 300 messages between Lavrynovych and ‘El Money’ were recovered indicating a ‘good working relationship’ spanning seven months and a willingness to recruit others,he said.Mr Atkinson added: ‘It also underlines that the motivation for these activities was not fear,but financial reward.’However,he told jurors they would not need to decide on a motivation or the true identity of El Money.Mr Atkinson said: ‘It does not matter whether they knew that the property they were targeting was connected to the Prime Minister or whether that formed part of their motivation.’The defendants are charged with conspiracy to damage property by fire between April 1 and May 13 last year.Lavrynovych is also charged with damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life or being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 11 and 12 last year.Lavrynovych,of Lewisham,south-east London,Carpiuc,from Romford,east London,and Pochynok,of Islington,have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.The trial before Mr Justice Garnham is expected to continue until the end of May.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .