BBC-linked investigation identifies Russian diplomat behind ‘El Money’ Starmer arson plot
Updated 28 June 2026, 00:00 UTC | London: A BBC investigation, reported by The Guardian and La Libre Belgique, has identified 23-year-old Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin as the alleged online figure known as “El Money”, who prosecutors said directed arson attacks against property linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May 2025. AP reported that Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were convicted and later sentenced for the plot, while the handler was not charged.
Trust & Evidence📚 4 sources· 🧠 AI-checked· Trust status: not yet independently verifiedView evidence & verification Hide
Verification record
- 📚 4 verified sources — La Libre Belgique · Associated Press · The Guardian · The Guardian / Europol SOCTA reporting
- 🧠 High confidence — AI-checked
- 🇧🇪 Belgian impact: Low
- 📜 Provenance recorded & timestamped
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About this story
The case centres on three fires in north London: a Toyota RAV4 formerly owned by Keir Starmer, a property connected to a company he had been involved with, and his former family home, where his sister-in-law was living. Prosecutors at the Old Bailey said the attacks were arranged through Telegram by a Russian-speaking contact using the name “El Money”. The Guardian reported that the BBC named Evgeny Lyukshin as the person behind the account, based on open-source material and online traces; that identity was not tested as a criminal charge in court.
How to read this story
The history
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO, Europol and European governments have warned of more sabotage, cyber operations, disinformation and proxy recruitment on European territory. NATO said in 2024 that allies were deeply concerned by hostile activity attributed to Russia, including sabotage and acts of violence.
Regional impact
Belgium is not a direct target in this case. The Belgian relevance is indirect: Brussels hosts NATO and EU institutions that coordinate responses to Russian hybrid activity, and Belgian residents follow the same European security environment shaped by these operations.
Local impact
For Belgium, the practical impact is situational awareness: suspected Russian-linked proxy activity is a European security issue, but this case did not involve Belgian territory, Belgian victims or Belgian suspects.
International angle
The main story is international: a UK criminal case intersects with allegations of Russian-linked sabotage and information warfare aimed at a prime minister whose government supports Ukraine.
What this means for you
Do not treat viral claims about the case as established fact unless they come from court records, named police statements, official sanctions notices or reputable news organisations with clear attribution.
Opposing perspectives
- BBC and Financial Times investigators
Investigative reporting cited by The Guardian says digital traces, Telegram activity and other open-source material connect the El Money persona to Evgeny Lyukshin and to a wider Russian-linked influence and sabotage ecosystem.
- Russian embassy and Russian officials
The Russian embassy rejected attempts to link Russia or its foreign ministry to unlawful activity. That denial matters legally because the Old Bailey case convicted the arsonists, not the alleged overseas handler or the Russian state.
- UK police and prosecutors
UK authorities focused the criminal case on arson, conspiracy and risk to life. Police said the defendants had no proven ideological motive and that proving a state-directed operation in open court is harder than identifying suspicious methods.
Related to this story
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.