BBC: same Russian network coordinated Starmer arson and London anti-Muslim graffiti, using Ukrainians as executors
A BBC and Hope not Hate investigation has concluded that the same Russian agent network coordinated both the 2025 arson of property linked to then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a series of anti-Muslim vandalism incidents in London, recruiting Ukrainians through Telegram for cash. Ukrainian Ilya Bilyk has pleaded guilty to racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage for painting graffiti on mosques and Islamic community premises in east London in January 2025; his sentencing is scheduled for 19 October at Stratford Magistrates' Court.
Key points
- Ilya Bilyk, a 21-year-old Ukrainian, pleaded guilty to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage at Thames Magistrates' Court.
- In January 2025 he painted graffiti on Stratford Islamic Association, Al-Birr mosque, Leyton Jamia Masjid, Noor Ul Islam primary school and the Islamic Sharia Council in east London.
- He was recruited via Telegram for payment; the recruiter communicated in Russian and specified the targets.
- In June 2025 Ukrainians Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Karpiuk were convicted for arson against property and a vehicle linked to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Lavrynovych received a seven-year sentence.
- BBC and Hope not Hate found the same Russian agent network coordinated both the Starmer arson and the anti-Muslim vandalism in London.
- BBC identifies 'EL' as Russian diplomat Yevheniy Liukshin, alleged to have run the fake far-right front Direct Action UK as cover for the operations.
- Bilyk is due to be sentenced on 19 October at Stratford Magistrates' Court.
Why it matters
The investigation documents an alleged Russian state-linked sabotage and provocation campaign on UK soil that targeted both a senior political figure and Muslim communities, and did so by recruiting Ukrainians as low-cost executors through social media. It shows how a fake far-right front, Direct Action UK, was used as cover for Russian-directed vandalism and arson in Britain, and it ties two apparently separate UK criminal cases to the same coordinator. The case raises questions about the vulnerability of diaspora communities, including Ukrainians, to Telegram-based recruitment by foreign intelligence services.
What happened
In January 2025, Ilya Bilyk, a 21-year-old Ukrainian, painted graffiti on five Islamic community sites in east London: the Stratford Islamic Association, Al-Birr mosque, Leyton Jamia Masjid, Noor Ul Islam primary school and the Islamic Sharia Council. According to the BBC and Hope not Hate investigation, Bilyk was recruited through Telegram by a handler who communicated in Russian, specified which buildings to target and paid him afterwards. A photograph of the graffiti was later posted in the Telegram channel of Direct Action UK. Bilyk has since pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates' Court to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage and is due to be sentenced on 19 October at Stratford Magistrates' Court. The BBC and Hope not Hate investigation found that the same Russian agent network was behind both the mosque vandalism and the June 2025 conviction of Ukrainians Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Karpiuk for arson against property and a vehicle linked to then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Lavrynovych, who received a seven-year sentence, was also found to have been involved in anti-Muslim graffiti on a Muslim community building in south London and was likewise recruited via Telegram with a promised payment. BBC identifies the handler known as 'EL' as Russian diplomat Yevheniy Liukshin and attributes to him a central role in running the fake far-right front Direct Action UK as cover for the vandalism and arson campaign in Britain.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The Ukrainian-language coverage centres the three Ukrainian nationals — Bilyk, Lavrynovych and Karpiuk — as the visible executors in a UK criminal case, reflecting domestic interest in the legal fate and recruitment of Ukrainians abroad. Both Ukrainian outlets frame the events explicitly through the BBC and Hope not Hate investigation and foreground the Russian agent network as the coordinating actor, emphasising Russian state responsibility for the campaign.
Where reporting differs
BBC and Hope not Hate trace Lavrynovych's recruitment to a Russian operative known as 'EL', identified by BBC as Russian diplomat Yevheniy Liukshin. The Financial Times instead links the recruiter to the pro-Kremlin hacker group NoName057(16), which the United States has designated a Russian state-sponsored project.
Background
Bilyk's case is one of two UK criminal proceedings that have now been tied by journalists to the same alleged Russian coordinator. In June 2025, Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Karpiuk were convicted for the arson of property and a vehicle linked to then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Lavrynovych receiving a seven-year sentence. A verdict in Bilyk's case is scheduled for 19 October at Stratford Magistrates' Court.