{"id":535,"date":"2025-07-08T15:41:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T15:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/?p=535"},"modified":"2025-07-10T12:30:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T12:30:28","slug":"wagner-group-proxies-carried-out-arson-on-ukraine-linked-warehouse-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/08\/wagner-group-proxies-carried-out-arson-on-ukraine-linked-warehouse-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Wagner Group \u2018proxies\u2019 carried out arson on Ukraine-linked warehouse in London"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Ugnius Asmena (left to right), Nii Mensah and Jakeem Rose were tracked down after committing arson at a Ukraine-linked warehouse in London (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three men acting on the orders of Russia<\/a>\u2019s terrorist Wagner Group<\/a> have been found guilty of an arson attack that resulted in around \u00a31 million of damage to a warehouse. <\/p>\n

The ‘proxies’ for Vladimir Putin’s<\/a> regime were apparently motivated by the lure of cash when they set two units linked to Ukraine<\/a> ablaze in east London on March 20 last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nii Mensah, 23, livestreamed on his phone as he and Jakeem Rose, 23, set fire to the industrial unit while fixer Ugnius Asmena, 20, waited in a car, the Old Bailey was told. <\/p>\n

Dylan Earl, 20, who had established contact with the notorious private military group, orchestrated the attack along with Gatwick airport cleaner Jake Reeves, 23. <\/p>\n

They targeted the warehouse in Leyton because it was being used to supply humanitarian aid and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine. <\/p>\n

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Meeting in a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair, Earl and Reeves went on to plot more attacks <\/a>and the kidnapping of the establishment\u2019s owner, the wealthy Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin.  <\/p>\n

They previously admitted aggravated arson <\/a>on behalf of Wagner, becoming the first defendants to be convicted of acting as proxies for the formation under the National Security Act 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earl has also admitted possessing cocaine and thousands of pounds in criminal cash. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Undated\t<\/div>
Nii Mensah (left to right), Jakeem Rose and Ugnius Asmena were found guilty at the Old Bailey of an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine (Picture: CPS\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\"Undated\t<\/div>
Jake Reeves (left) and Dylan Earl admitted their part in an arson attack on a London warehouse linked to Ukraine (Picture: CPS\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following an Old Bailey trial, Mensah, Rose and Asmena were today found guilty of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life. <\/p>\n

Driver Paul English, 61, was cleared of wrongdoing. <\/p>\n

Ashton Evans, 20, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts relating to the Mayfair plot but cleared of failing to tell authorities about the warehouse arson. <\/p>\n

Dmirjus Paulauskas, 23, was cleared of two similar offences relating to both terrorist plots after the jury deliberated for nearly 22 hours.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Undated\t<\/div>
A screenshot of the fire being started that was shown to the jury at the Old Bailey in the trial (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police\u2019s Counter Terrorism Command, said: \u2018This case is clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using \u201cproxies\u201d, in this case British men, to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf. <\/p>\n

\u2018The ringleaders, Earl and Reeves, willingly acted as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state. <\/p>\n

\u2018I am pleased that, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, we were able to use the new National Security Act legislation, which meant the severity of Earl and Reeves\u2019s offending was reflected in the charges they faced. The warehouse arson put members of the public at great risk, and it was only by good fortune nobody was seriously injured or worse. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Undated\t<\/div>
Significant damage was caused to the warehouse in east London in the arson attack (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Those involved showed little or no regard for the potential impact of their actions on the UK\u2019s wider security. <\/p>\n

\u2018Seemingly motivated by the promise of money, they were prepared to commit criminal acts on behalf of Russia. <\/p>\n

\u2018I hope these convictions send a strong warning of the very serious consequences of committing offences on behalf of a foreign country.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Both businesses in the damaged units were Ukrainian-owned.  <\/p>\n

Initially, local Met Officers investigated before it emerged that another warehouse in Madrid linked to one of the companies had been subject to an arson attack. Detectives from the Met\u2019s Counter Terrorism Command then took over the investigation. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Handout\t<\/div>
The London Fire Brigade are shown at the scene of the fire caused by Wagner Group ‘proxies’ (Picture: London Fire Brigade\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They gathered \u2018overwhelming\u2019 evidence linking the arsonists to the Leyton attack, the court was told.<\/p>\n

The trio were tracked by phone data and traffic cameras as Mr English drove them in his Kia Picanto through south London and the scene of the fire, which was covered by CCTV. <\/p>\n

More footage captured Rose and Mensah getting out of the vehicle, climbing over a wall and approaching the warehouses. <\/p>\n

As they fled the scene, Rose dropped a very large knife with his DNA on it, with Mensah later messaging Reeves to say \u2018L9 (Rose\u2019s nickname) left his Rambo at the scene\u2019. <\/p>\n

Sixty firefighters from eight crews had to get the blaze under control. <\/p>\n

Afterwards, Mensah messaged Earl: \u2018Bro there was bare smoke \u2026 You saw it on Face Time.\u2019 Later, he added: \u2018Bro lol it\u2019s on the news \u2026 we dun damagees [sic].\u2019 <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Undated\t<\/div>
The aftermath of the arson attack in east London (Credits: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the arsonists were motivated by the promise of money, Earl and Reeves had orchestrated it for Russia, prosecutor Duncan Penny KC said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earl had told a Wagner operative he met on Telegram he was keen to carry out a series of \u2018missions\u2019, of which the Leyton fire was to be just the first. <\/p>\n

Reeves was also prepared to accept money from a foreign intelligence service to target the Russian dissident and his London-based businesses next, the jury was told. <\/p>\n

Earl admitted preparing to set fire to the Hide Restaurant and Hedonism Wines in Mayfair, west London, and kidnapping owner Mr Chichvarkin on behalf of the Wagner Group. <\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (placeholder) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The court was told the two Mayfair businesses targeted by Wagner employed 200 people and were valued at more than \u00a330 million. <\/p>\n<p>Mr Chichvarkin was described as a ‘high-profile Russian dissident and refugee’ who has been vocal in his criticism of Putin and the war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>On April 5 2024, Reeves, from Croydon, south London, sent an unknown contact Mr Chichvarkin\u2019s name and said he would make an \u2018amazing target\u2019. <\/p>\n<p>Earl was also in the plot, raising the possibility of ‘exiling him back to Russia to face prison’ according to police.<\/p>\n<p>In chat, Earl\u2019s Wagner contact, named Privet Bot, instructed him to watch the period drama The Americans and use it as a \u2018manual\u2019 for his covert mission. <\/p>\n<p>The television series is set during the Cold War and is about two KGB agents posing as Americans in Washington DC to spy on the American government. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"823\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23610972 lazyload\" alt=\"Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of an image Dmirjus Paulauskas shared of his motorcycle with Jake Reeves, an image shown to the jury at the Old Bailey in the trial of Dylan Earl, Jakeem Rose, Ugnius Asmena, Jake Reeves, Nii Mensah, Dmirjus Paulauskas and Paul English for arson on a Ukrainian business in London for the Wagner Group. Three men have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group. Issue date: Tuesday July 8, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_258276837-4fad-e1751986716176.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>An image Dmirjus Paulauskas shared of his motorcycle with Jake Reeves was shown to the jury (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In further chat with Privet Bot, wholesale drug dealer Earl appeared to brag that he had criminal connections, saying he could \u2018sort\u2019 an introduction to the IRA and Kinahan Irish organised crime group. <\/p>\n<p>He was arrested in a B&Q car park in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and videos of the warehouse fire being started were found on his iPhone. <\/p>\n<p>In a search of his home in Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, police recovered a Russian flag, more than \u00a320,000 in cash and cocaine hydrochloride with a street value of some \u00a334,000. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23610974 lazyload\" alt=\"The exterior of Hedonism Wines on Davies Street in London, one of the businesses that Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves admitted plotting to set fire to. Three men have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group. Picture date: Wednesday July 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Lucy North\/PA Wire\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_258276743-3096.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The exterior of Hedonism Wines on Davies Street in London which was subject to a plot by Dylan Earl and Jake Reeve (Picture: Lucy North\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Evidence on his phone revealed details of a cryptocurrency account holding more than \u00a358,000 and images of bundles of cash estimated to total \u00a3175,000. <\/p>\n<p>Following Reeves\u2019s arrest at Croydon East railway station, police uncovered videos on his phone which were taken by Mensah on the night of the arson attack. <\/p>\n<p>Giving evidence, Asmena, of no fixed address, denied being aware of the arson attack or hiring Mr English as the driver, telling jurors he was \u2018just there\u2019. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"670\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23612205 lazyload\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1-be21-e1751986602296.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mensah, of Thornton Heath, and Rose, from Croydon, had admitted arson and Rose also pleaded guilty to possessing a blade. However, both claimed the prosecution had failed to prove the fire had endangered life. <\/p>\n<p>Mr English, of Roehampton, told police upon his arrest that he had been paid \u00a3500 by Asmena to drive but knew nothing about the fire. <\/p>\n<p>Evans, from Newport, Gwent, told jurors that he had got in touch with Earl to buy cocaine, which he admitted having. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"625\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23610964 lazyload\" alt=\"Undated handout photo photo issued by Metropolitan Police of screenshot of a photo on Dylan Earl's phone showing large quality of cash that was shown to the jury at the Old Bailey of the trial of Dylan Earl, Jakeem Rose, Ugnius Asmena, Jake Reeves, Nii Mensah, Dmirjus Paulauskas and Paul English for arson on a Ukrainian business in London for Wagner Group. Three men have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group. Issue date: Tuesday July 8, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_258276769-2314-e1751986425222.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>A screenshot from Dylan Earl’s phone showing a large quantity of cash was among the evidence shown at court (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He claimed not to take what Earl told him seriously and went along with it to get his money back after buying drugs that were not the genuine article. <\/p>\n<p>Aviation engineering student Mr Paulauskus, from Croydon, told jurors he had been doing work experience at an aircraft maintenance hangar, was interested in gaming and was a \u2018gun nerd\u2019. <\/p>\n<p>Born in Lithuania, he holds a joint British and Russian passport and believed that the war with Russia was Ukraine\u2019s fault. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"425\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23610978 lazyload\" alt=\"Court artist drawing of (front row, left to right) Nii Mensah, 23, Paul English, 61, Jakeem Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, and (back left) Dmirjus Paulauskas, 23, and Ashton Evans, 20, (back right) appearing at the Old Bailey, central London in connection with an alleged arson plot. Picture date: Wednesday June 4, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Russia. Photo credit should read: PA\/PA Wire\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_254275134-dfb1.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Court artist drawing of (front row, left to right) Nii Mensah, Paul English, Jakeem Rose and Ugnius Asmena, and (back left) Dmirjus Paulauskas and Ashton Evans (back right) appearing at the Old Bailey (Picture: PA\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He told jurors that he had been friends with Reeves since secondary school but did not believe anything he told him about the plots was real. <\/p>\n<p>Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the convicted defendants would be sentenced on a date to be fixed in the autumn. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:josh.layton@metro.co.uk\"><strong>josh.layton@metro.co.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">\n<p><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/28\/ex-russian-model-putin-critic-reveals-kremlins-hitlist-22080058\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Ex-Russian supermodel and Putin critic reveals she\u2019s on Kremlin\u2019s hitlist<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/06\/30\/the-shadowy-russian-military-firms-vying-for-power-after-wagner-mutiny-19044257\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The shadowy Russian military firms vying for power after Wagner mutiny<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/08\/26\/liquidated-prigozhin-took-world-back-to-medieval-style-warfare-19398076\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">\u2018Liquidated\u2019 Prigozhin took world back to medieval-style warfare<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ugnius Asmena (left to right), Nii Mensah and Jakeem Rose were tracked down after committing arson at a Ukraine-linked warehouse in London (Picture: Metropolitan Police\/PA) Three men acting on the orders of Russia\u2019s terrorist Wagner Group have been found guilty of an arson attack that resulted in around \u00a31 million of damage to a warehouse.  The ‘proxies’ for Vladimir Putin’s regime were apparently motivated by the lure of cash when they set two units linked to Ukraine ablaze in east London … <a href=\"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/08\/wagner-group-proxies-carried-out-arson-on-ukraine-linked-warehouse-in-london\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> “Wagner Group \u2018proxies\u2019 carried out arson on Ukraine-linked warehouse in London”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cost-of-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":549,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions\/549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airnetaccess.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}