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A British cell linked to Wagner and Russian intelligence was plotting sabotage and kidnappings in London. Their goal: to destabilize Europe by using ordinary criminals as hybrid weapons.
An emblematic case of Russian hybrid warfare and the increasingly sophisticated methods that the Kremlin is using to destabilize the heart of Europe is that of six British citizens convicted of serving the notorious Wagner Group, the paramilitary militia linked to Vladimir Putin's regime, once led by Evgeny Prigozhin, known for its brutality in conflicts from Ukraine to the Sahel.
Wagner's British cell
The case, revealed yesterday in London, shows how Moscow is recruiting young street criminals through digital propaganda and encrypted communication tools to carry out acts of sabotage on European soil. At the head of the British cell was Dylan Earl, 20, a convert to the pro-Russian cause through Wagner’s Telegram channels, ready to strike strategic targets in London. Earl boasted that he could create a “connection” between Wagner, the IRA and the Irish crime cartel Kinahan.
The investigation is centered on the deliberate arson of a warehouse in Leyton, east London, last March. Inside the building were humanitarian aid for Ukraine and critical components of the Starlink satellite system used by the Ukrainian military on the front line. The attack, which caused one million pounds in economic damage, was filmed live by the perpetrators for their network of saboteurs. The direct perpetrators of the attack were three young Londoners with criminal records for drug dealing and theft: Nii Mensah (23), Jakeem Rose (23) and Ugnius Asmena (20). Police identified them thanks to security cameras, mobile phone tracking and a knife lost during the escape, which contained Rose's DNA.
The “Grey Zone” channel as a “hunting ground” for Wagner
The true picture of the operation comes to light through the involvement of three other people: Dylan Earl, Jake Reeves (23 years old) and Ashton Evans (20). Earl, known online as “Baba Yaga”, was the bridge between the local workshop and Russian strategic interests.
Involved in drug trafficking on the county lines in Leicestershire, Earl became radicalised on pro-Russian Telegram forums, where he contacted the Grey Zone channel – one of Wagner’s main propaganda vehicles with over 500,000 followers. Here he received operational instructions from an entity called “Privet Bot”, which guided him step by step in what was called a “sabotage campaign” on British soil.
He was asked to observe, photograph and report on several objects, including two warehouses run by British-Ukrainian entrepreneur Mikhail Boikov, from where aid was regularly sent to Kiev. Earl, dutifully, swears allegiance to Wagner and takes the nickname “Sas” – an homage to the British special forces.
The operational "manual" he was given included watching the series 'The Americans', which deals with Soviet spies infiltrated during the Cold War. The aim was to replicate those schemes in 21st century London, through coded messages, virtual contacts and direct attacks on Ukrainian targets and opponents of the Russian regime.
Among the failed plots were the arson of two luxury restaurants in Mayfair and the kidnapping of Evgeny Chichvarkin, the dissident Russian billionaire who lives in London and is the founder of the Euroset giant and has been declared an “enemy of the state” by Moscow. Investigators managed to prevent the attacks and arrest all members of the cell. Reeves, a cleaner at Gatwick Airport, and Evans, accused of failing to report terrorist activity despite being aware of it, made up the rest of the group. Authorities have charged them under the new National Security Act passed in 2023 – a law designed to tackle hybrid threats from hostile states.
Other suspected cases in Europe
The British case is not isolated. According to the Associated Press, at least 70 sabotage attempts linked to Russia have been documented in Europe since late 2022, often involving local criminals recruited online. In Poland, in Wrocław, a Ukrainian citizen was arrested in January 2024 while attempting to burn down a paint factory, allegedly acting on direct orders from the GRU. Also in January, an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius, Lithuania, was burned down under suspicious circumstances.
In July 2024, three package bombs sent from Lithuania hit Birmingham, Leipzig and a logistics center near Warsaw. In all cases, authorities suspect the involvement of cells recruited through Russian channels on Telegram, controlled by Russian military intelligence officers, including Colonel Denis Smolyaninov.
In Estonia and Sweden, sabotage on railway lines has been attributed to local actors, part of a broader strategy to destabilize European infrastructure. In the United Kingdom, three Bulgarian citizens were tried in 2023 for espionage, on charges that included blackmail, intelligence gathering, and stalking Russian dissidents.
Western intelligence sources confirm that this operational scheme represents a clear evolution compared to previous GRU actions – such as the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.
Today, as a result of diplomatic isolation and travel restrictions, Moscow prefers to recruit “freelancers” via the Internet. The strategy is clear: destabilize Europe through chaos, fear and disinformation, using a remote and replaceable local workforce. /Adapted from “Pamfleti” by “Il Giornale”
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