United Kingdom charges two Britons for helping with Russian interference

The two British men, both in their early 20s, are said to be (partly) responsible for a fire that broke out on an industrial estate in Leyton, a neighborhood in east London, last month. Eight fire engines and sixty firefighters were needed to extinguish the fire. The public prosecutor states that the fire was deliberately lit.

Both main suspects are not only charged with arson, but have also been charged with “hostile activities” in the United Kingdom on behalf of Russia, British police said. Three men who may be accomplices have also been arrested. All five are due to appear in a criminal court in London on May 10.

The underlying reason for the special indictment is that the two affected companies have ties to Ukraine, according to the BBC. This would concern the parcel delivery services Oddisey and Most UK, which deliver to Russia and Ukraine, among others. The companies are owned by Mikhail Boikov and his wife Jelena Boikova. Both live in London. Nick Price, head of the British Counter-Terrorism, told the BBC that these were actions aimed at companies linked to Ukraine ‘to benefit the Russian state’.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he is “deeply concerned” about the involvement of British citizens in criminal activities on behalf of Russia. He also threatened that the British prosecutor will hold “anyone guilty of crimes relating to foreign interference” responsible.

Threat

The charges against the two main suspects are the first to be based on the National Security Act 2023. This law was approved by the British Parliament in July last year. The law is ‘a response to the threat of hostile activities by states against the democracy, economy and values ​​of the United Kingdom’.

It is not mentioned which countries are involved. The law provides, among other things, for an expansion of the instruments with which security and intelligence services can protect themselves against matters such as espionage, foreign interference and sabotage.

The arson comes at a time when European leaders are increasingly concerned about the growing Russian threat. Russia would try to undermine the European Union and NATO through digital and political channels, and apparently also through arson.

Recently, people affiliated with Russia’s military service have been arrested in Germany, among other places, because they were preparing bomb attacks on military transports. In Poland, authorities arrested a man for participating in a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.