Keir Starmer arson attacks ‘potentially linked to Russia’ as officials investigate
24 May 2025, 00:47
Security officials are investigating whether the three Ukrainian-born men accused of the arson attacks could be linked to Russia, reports say.
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Authorities are investigating whether Russian operatives recruited three Ukrainian-born men charged with arson or conspiracy to commit arson, senior Whitehall officials told the Financial Times.
Officials said discussions are under way on how to respond if links to Russia are confirmed.
Roman Lavrynovych, 21, an aspiring model from Ukraine, living in Sydenham, south London, was charged last week with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
Petro Pochynok, 34, from Holloway, north London, describes himself online as a fashion entrepreneur, is charged with conspiring with his two co-defendants, as well as “with others unknown”, to commit arson.
Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, a fellow aspiring model, is a Russian-speaking Romanian citizen born in Ukraine. He was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
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All the men have connections with a high-profile public figure, according to the Met police, and so the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the fires.
Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the arson attacks were "an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for".
Counter-terrorism officers worked "at pace" to establish the cause of the fires and "any potential motivation", Scotland Yard said.
The fires took place at properties and a car linked to the Prime Minister.
The car, which Starmer had sold the to a neighbour last year, was set on fire on Monday last week, before a fire was set to a building the Prime Minister is understood to have lived in the 1990s.
Neighbours described hearing a loud bang and said police officers were looking for a projectile.
Pochynok was arrested on Monday, 19 May, in the Chelsea area of London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
Pochynok appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on May 21.
Lavrynovych and Carpiuc have both appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, and have been remanded in custody.
