Arson charges mount in Ukrainian aid warehouse fire linked to Wagner

Charges have been brought against two more individuals in the case of the arson attack on a warehouse in eastern London, where aid for Ukraine was stored, the London Metropolitan Police reported on Saturday. The Russian mercenary group Wagner is suspected of organizing the arson.

As explained by the British police, 22-year-old Jakeem Barrington Rose and 19-year-old Ugnius Asmena have been charged with intentional arson, and the former has also been charged with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon.

Five other individuals were charged earlier in this case. They were charged, among other things, under the National Security Act adopted last year, which aims to prosecute individuals secretly working in the United Kingdom for hostile states.

The indictment directly states that it concerns "activity that could benefit Russia." The main suspect, Dylan Earl, 20, is the first Briton to be charged with acting on behalf of the Wagner Group.

It is believed that the arson of the warehouses, which took place on March 20 in Leyton, eastern London, was the first attack organized by the Wagner Group on the territory of the United Kingdom. It was supposed to be a "message" from Russia that aid for Ukraine would be met with "punishment."

Eight fire trucks and about 60 firefighters extinguished the fire for approximately four hours at two warehouses belonging to a Ukrainian logistics company.

The arson was allegedly carried out by Earl, who recruited a team of four men for this purpose. Two of them, who - it is believed - were unaware that he was acting on behalf of the Wagner Group, were only charged with arson. At the same time, the third was also charged with accepting money from a foreign intelligence service, and the fourth was charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist acts to the police.

All five appeared before the court for a preliminary hearing in May of this year. The court set the trial date for June next year.