Russia's Wagner Group Busy in the U.K.

"Anonymous recruiter proxies operating through internet chat rooms [on encrypted platforms had found young men] who were prepared to undergo a form of radicalization and betray their country for what seemed easy money."

"In past years, our parents and grandparents would have had a simple term for what Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves did: treason."

Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, Old Bailey court, London 

The Ukrainian-owned warehouse in Leyton, East London was torched in March 2024   PA Media

 

A loose network of young British men were jailed, given particularly long prison terms for their part in torching a warehouse that stored supplies for Ukraine, when the Russian paramilitary Wagner group recruited them alongside the attack's orchestrator. A March 2024 fire at an industrial estate in east London, drew a focus of attention on Russia's spying and sabotage campaigns that Moscow initiated along with its European proxies.

 

The Kremlin stands accused by Western nations of masterminding a string of incidents for the purpose of undermining support for Ukraine in its battles with the Russian invaders. Counter-terrorism police in the United Kingdom have made a series of arrests related to this critical issue.  Some of the six sentenced on Friday had their lawyers charge that Russian operatives preyed on their 'unsophisticated' clients' vulnerabilities, including financial, drug and mental health issues.

 

Jake Reeves (left) and Dylan Earl (right) were among six Brits recruited by Russia’s Wagner group   Credit: PA

 

Some in the group, ages ranging from 19 to 22 at the time of the offence -- had plotted to kidnap a billionaire Russian dissident; a plot foiled by police -- as well as their involvement in the arson. Judge Cheema-Grubb declared the case highlighted "interference ... by a foreign power leveraging the greed and base instincts of unsophisticated individuals", as she went on to sentence the accused to varying, lengthy prison terms.

 

These were the first sentences handed out under the U.K.'s 2023 National Security Act, meant to counter evolving threats from hostile states. Earl, a low-level drug dealer from central England, had pleaded guilty to various offences including aggravated arson and possession of criminal property. He met, then corresponded with members of Wagner through the Telegram messaging app; a group classed as a "terrorist" organization, by Britain.

 

(Left to right) Ashton Evans, Nii Mensah, Jakeem Rose, and Ugnius Asmena were all sentenced at The Old Bailey    Credit: PA

 

Earl went on to recruit Reeves -- a man he had never previously met -- to burn down the business that was supplying communications equipment to Ukraine. Fellow south Londoners Nii Mensah, 23, Jakeem Rose, 23, and Ugnius Usmena, 20, were then recruited by Reeves to torch the site, live-streaming it back to Earl. The last three were sentenced to between eight and ten years each. Dylan Earl received the longest term of 23 years, while co-defendant Jake Reeves was sentenced to 13 years. 

 

Police footage shows arson attack ringleader's arrest