Full Breakdown
Proxy Attacks in Britain
6/16/2026, 12:12:33 AM
Proxy Attacks in Britain
In May 2025, 22-year-old Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych was arrested in London after a text to a contact known as “EL Money” instructed him to set fire to a property linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Police say he and other young men recruited via Telegram carried out arson, surveillance and property damage for promised cash, often never paid.
Proxy Tactics by Russia and Iran
After the 2018 Skripal poisoning, over 600 Russian operatives were expelled from the UK, prompting Moscow to employ untrained civilians, including minors, for sabotage. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, roughly one-fifth of the 1,100 Ukrainians charged with arson or sabotage are minors. Iranian actors are similarly accused of directing attacks on Iranian-critical media and Jewish sites in London, a claim both Tehran and Moscow reject as Western propaganda.
Convicted Proxies
Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national, was tasked by “EL Money” to attack a Starmer-linked home. Austrian-born Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was convicted of surveilling Iran International staff after being offered €50,000. U.S. prosecutors have charged Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi with coordinating attacks on American and Israeli interests in Europe, allegedly linked to the pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).
Payments
Ukraine’s security service reports that roughly one-fifth of the 1,100 Ukrainians charged with arson or sabotage since 2022 were minors. Lavrynovych was offered £1,500 to check two addresses; Dovtaev was promised €50,000 for surveillance. In several cases, promised PayPal or cryptocurrency payments never materialized.
Official Responses
London’s counter-terrorism chief Helen Flanagan called the operations “a quick dash for cash” aimed at intimidation. UK officials say proxy use lets hostile states deny direct involvement. U.S. prosecutors allege al-Saadi acted as an associate of the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, tying the attacks to Iranian strategic aims.
State Denials
Both Moscow and Tehran have dismissed the proxy allegations as Western propaganda, insisting no state direction of the crimes and rejecting any responsibility for attacks on British soil.
Conflicts & Gaps
British authorities have not formally linked any London attack to the Iranian government, despite U.S. charges against al-Saadi. Russian involvement is inferred from the high proportion of minor saboteurs, yet direct orders remain unproven. Evidence of actual payments to proxies is also incomplete.
Quotes
“Clearly the tasking (instruction) was to intimidate and create fear for the prime minister and to attack the UK.” — Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing, London
“I hope I will have an opportunity to shake your hand soon … Be in touch.” — Roman Lavrynovych, text to ‘EL Money’
“I needed some more money.” — Roman Lavrynovych, Old Bailey testimony
“I was given an opportunity to make ‘easy money’.” — Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, parole board hearing
