A Romanian man, Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, was convicted in Britain of conspiracy to damage property by fire after a plot that prosecutors and officials linked to Russia.
He and Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, were hired as intermediaries by an unidentified Russian figure, in a scheme later tied to a Russian diplomat. The pair were offered £3,000. In May 2025 they set fire to Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency home, where his sister-in-law was staying, to a flat in Islington that he had once owned, and to a Toyota RAV4 in Kentish Town that he no longer owned. A gang involved in the firebombing of Starmer’s home was jailed for a total of nine years.
The case sits inside a wider set of allegations that Moscow is running covert attacks in NATO countries to weaken support for Ukraine while staying short of open war. Sites cited include a warehouse in London, a weapons factory in Estonia and a railway in Poland. Separately, six Britons acting for Russia’s Wagner group were jailed for setting fire to a London warehouse that stored humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Senior Western officials have said Russia wants to avoid a direct fight with NATO, while warning that sabotage and cyber operations carry a risk of miscalculation. Britain’s Ministry of Defence has rejected claims that London is ignoring the threat and has pointed to higher defence spending, including money for air, drone, missile and cyber defences.