Russian Sabotage Network Behind Arson Attacks on British Prime Minister Starmer’s Home

A Russian sabotage network operating online was behind a series of arson attacks on the home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other related properties.

This was reported by the Financial Times.

On Monday, 22-year-old Ukrainian construction worker Roman Lavrinovych, who lives in London, was found guilty of committing these arson attacks. The verdict was announced after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey. Starmer himself had previously called these attacks “an assault on democracy.”

Prosecutors did not reveal the identity of Lavrynovych’s handler, stating only that he used the nickname El Money on Telegram and communicated in Russian and Ukrainian.

A Financial Times investigation, based on an analysis of Telegram archives, cryptocurrency wallets, court documents, and interviews with Western officials, established that El Money was located in Russia and had close ties to the pro-Kremlin hacktivist group NoName057(16). In the U.S., this group is referred to as a Russian “state-sanctioned project.”

According to the publication, NoName and other Russian patriotic cyber groups actively recruited operatives online to advance the Kremlin’s geopolitical interests. One of their areas of activity was stoking social tensions in European countries by spreading far-right and anti-immigrant narratives.

Journalists also established that the same handler who organized the arson attacks recruited people in the UK to spray anti-Islamic graffiti on mosques and other sites across London. This indicates attempts by Russian entities to exacerbate social and interethnic tensions within British society.

At the same time, the extent of direct coordination between NoName and the Russian authorities remains unclear. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency notes that NoName and its associated tools were created as a “secret project” of a Kremlin-founded IT organization.

According to U.S. experts, some members of the decentralized NoName network are supporters of Moscow’s policies without direct ties to the state, while others may be linked to the Russian government through direct or indirect support.

Reports obtained by the Financial Times indicate that El Money recruited Lavrinovich via Telegram in late 2024. During this period, the Ukrainian was actively seeking temporary work in London, posting ads in Russian- and Ukrainian-language Telegram communities. From August 2024 to May 2025, he posted over a hundred such messages.

According to data seized by British police from Lavrynovych’s phone, El Money initially paid him to print and distribute posters advertising an organization called Direct Action throughout London at night.

This network was run by individuals based in Russia who used VPN services to conceal their locations and identities. They actively used artificial intelligence tools to create far-right content, videos, and other materials.

It was El Money who financed the subversive activities, making transfers through Russian cryptocurrency exchanges.