Ukrainian men deny plotting fires at properties related to British prime minister

Published on 17/10/2025 - 17:15 GMT+2

Two Ukrainian men pleaded not blameworthy Friday to plotting fires earlier this twelvemonth astatine properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Petro Pochynok, 35, pleaded not blameworthy to conspiracy to perpetrate arson pinch intent to endanger life betwixt 1 April and 13 May.

They are accused on pinch different man, Ukraine-born Romanian nationalist Stanislav Carpiuc, of mounting occurrence to Starmer’s individual home, on pinch a spot wherever he erstwhile lived and a car he had sold.

Carpiuc, 27, did not participate a plea during nan proceeding astatine London's Central Criminal Court.

Prosecutors said nan lawsuit was not being treated arsenic terrorism.

"Plainly they are coordinated and must person immoderate motive aliases intent down them," Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said.

A tentative proceedings day was group for April 27.

No injuries were reported from nan fires successful northbound London, which occurred connected 3 nights betwixt 8-12 May.

Starmer and his family had moved retired of his location aft he was elected successful July past twelvemonth and they unrecorded astatine nan premier minister’s charismatic Downing Street residence.

A Toyota RAV4 that Starmer erstwhile owned was group ablaze connected 8 May, conscionable down nan thoroughfare from nan location wherever he lived earlier he became premier minister.

The doorway of an flat building wherever he erstwhile lived was group connected occurrence connected 11 May and connected 12 May nan doorway of his location was charred aft being group ablaze.

Starmer called nan fires "an onslaught connected each of us, connected populist and nan values that we guidelines for."