2 men sentenced to prison for arson on property linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Sentencing

A British court on June 19 sentenced Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc to prison for arson attacks on property linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, received seven years in prison. Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, received two years.

The sentencing closes a major criminal case that has drawn attention not only because of the target, but also because of the way the alleged recruitment was carried out online.

The May 2025 attacks

The underlying attacks took place in May 2025 and involved property associated with Starmer in London. Reporting reviewed for this article says one of the targets involved a car that once belonged to him.

The case was heard at the Old Bailey. One additional defendant was acquitted, according to the reporting reviewed.

Although the damage was limited, the attacks created fear for residents and relatives connected to the prime minister. The case has therefore carried political as well as criminal significance.

Telegram and the handler called El Money

Reporting says Lavrynovych and Carpiuc were recruited through Telegram by a Russian-speaking figure known as El Money. AP reported that the person has not been identified and has not been charged.

One report said Lavrynovych received more than 320 messages from the handler, including discussion of a cryptocurrency payment offer. That detail has made the platform itself part of the story, not just the criminal case.

The Telegram angle has raised broader questions about how anonymous accounts can be used to recruit people for illegal acts. It has also fed concern about online radicalization and the use of encrypted or semi-private channels for coordination.

Official reaction and broader scrutiny

The UK Home Office condemned the attacks after the sentencing.

Ofcom has separately contacted Telegram for clarification about how the app was used in the case. That inquiry could become important if regulators seek to determine whether the platform can prevent this kind of recruitment more effectively.

Reporting has also noted a possible foreign-influence angle, but no public court outcome in the material reviewed establishes a confirmed state link. For now, the identity of El Money remains unresolved.

What remains open

The main unknowns are whether investigators can identify El Money, whether Telegram will provide a substantive response to Ofcom, and whether prosecutors or police release any further detail from the case.

If fuller sentencing remarks or an official court release emerge, they could clarify the judge’s reasoning and whether investigators see the case as part of a wider pattern.

For now, the sentencing marks the end of one criminal phase, but not the end of the questions around who coordinated the attacks and why.