A Russian diplomat with the nickname “El Money” has been exposed as the mastermind behind arson attacks targeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s family. Two men were convicted on Monday in London’s Central Criminal Court for lighting fires that damaged a townhouse belonging to Starmer’s sister-in-law and a Toyota RAV4 he once owned.
Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian-born man, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson after setting the fires in May 2025. Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian also born in Ukraine, was convicted of two arson charges for being reckless about endangering life. A third suspect, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted.
But the man who ordered the attacks — a Russian-speaking boss the court heard was called “El Money” — hasn't been officially identified yet. The BBC’s Panorama program named him as Evgeny Lyukshin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat with the initials E and L. The BBC reported that Lyukshin was known to government ministers and that his father also served in Russia’s diplomatic corps.
The court heard “El Money” first hired Lavrynovych to put anti-Islamic posters on mosque walls in London, apparently to stir up community tension. When Lavrynovych messaged him on Telegram looking for work, the ringleader offered him the arson job. Lavrynovych asked for £3,000 ($5,700) in cryptocurrency but never received a cent.
Nobody was hurt in the fires, but the attacks raised fears about attempts on Starmer’s life, given his strong support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Commander Helen Flanagan of the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism team said the motive was clear: “The tasking was to intimidate and create fear for the prime minister and to attack the UK.”
The Financial Times reported that “El Money” is linked to a hacker group called NoName057(16), which has targeted Western government systems. Telegram messages from the ringleader included praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and attacks on Ukraine.
The Russian embassy denied state involvement, saying Russia posed “no threat” to Britain. But the case fits a pattern across Europe where small-time criminals have been hired by foreign handlers to carry out attacks that benefit Russia — from defacing Holocaust memorials in France to blowing up railway lines in Poland.
In Germany, a court convicted a Russian-German man of planning arson on military facilities. In the UK, an earlier arson attack on a London warehouse in March 2024 destroyed aid meant for Ukraine. That fire was set by Dylan Earl, a 21-year-old part-time drug dealer who was recruited by online accounts linked to the Wagner Group. Earl got 17 years.
The two men convicted this week will be sentenced on Friday. Meanwhile, “El Money” remains at large — a reminder that foreign powers can reach into British streets without ever setting foot there.