Six jailed for Russia‑backed arson at London aid hub
If you’re trying to make sense of today’s sentencing, here’s the clear version you can use in class or at home. On 24 October 2025 at the Old Bailey, six men were jailed for setting fire to a Ukrainian‑owned warehouse in Leyton, east London, on 20 March 2024. The judge, Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema‑Grubb, said the case showed a foreign state seeking influence through online recruitment. Eight fire engines and 60 firefighters were needed; the damage came to about £1.3 million. These facts come from the judge’s published sentencing remarks.
Two organisers were punished most severely. Dylan Earl, 21, received a total sentence of 23 years: 17 years in custody plus six years on extended licence. Jake Reeves, 24, received a total of 13 years: 12 in custody plus one year on licence. They are also the first people convicted under the UK’s new National Security Act 2023 for activity linked to a foreign state, according to the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Three others who physically carried out the arson were jailed after a jury trial: Nii Mensah was given 10 years in total (nine in custody, one on licence); Jakeem Rose was given nine years in total (eight in custody, one on licence); and Ugnius Asmena was given eight years in total (seven in custody, one on licence). A sixth man, Ashton Evans, received a 10‑year total for failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, alongside a drugs offence. These totals are set out by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Policing.
How did this start? Earl made contact via Telegram with accounts linked to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organisation proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK. Messages referenced a series of “missions” and even suggested watching the TV drama The Americans as a guide. Earl and Reeves coordinated from their bedrooms, while others lit the fire and livestreamed it to them. These details were described in court and reported by broadcasters and the press.
The judge linked the Leyton blaze to a wider pattern. Ten days later, a sister warehouse owned by the same company in Spain was also set on fire, and there were discussions about a possible job in the Czech Republic. Prosecutors told the court the aim was to intimidate people and disrupt aid for Ukraine. AP reporting has logged at least 25 suspected Russia‑linked arson or explosives plots across Europe since 2022.
You’ll hear two legal phrases in this story. First, “extended licence” means extra time under supervision in the community after prison; if you breach conditions, you can be recalled. Second, the judge said the arson had a “terrorist connection”, which can increase the seriousness of a sentence even if some offenders did not realise they were helping a hostile state. These points are explained in the sentencing remarks.
It’s also a milestone for the National Security Act 2023, used here to target foreign‑backed activity such as sabotage and preparatory conduct in the UK. The CPS notes this case delivered the first convictions under the Act, introduced to modernise how Britain tackles threats from states using proxies and online recruitment.
The human detail matters for media literacy. According to the Met, recruitment flowed through friendship chains: Reeves brought in Mensah; Mensah brought in Rose; Asmena joined too. Money, not ideology, often led the way, a reminder that financial incentives can be used to push people into serious crimes. This is how disinformation and state direction can meet everyday pressures.
Police leaders say this model-state‑linked actors contacting people online to commit crimes-now appears more often. After sentencing, the Met’s Commander Dominic Murphy called Earl and Reeves “hostile agents” for Russia and said the case showed an organisation tied to the Russian state using “proxies” in Britain. Hearing official voices, and reading primary documents, helps us separate verified facts from speculation.
If you’re teaching this, here are the takeaways we’d highlight with your group. Foreign states can outsource sabotage to ordinary people found online. UK law now has specific tools to charge and sentence those who help. And if you ever see messages asking you to do harm for money or “a cause”, it is a crime-talk to a trusted adult and report it to police. Building that reflex is part of digital citizenship.