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Russia was behind arson attacks targeting PM

9 replies

MyJustCat · Today 00:25

It doesn't seem to have been discussed on here but after a year long news blackout in court today a couple of young Ukrainian 'male models' were convinced by a Russian special intelligence handler to set fire to Starmer's former residences

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do

Does anyone believe this?

A composite image with a picture of Sir Keir Starmer on the left and on the right, a still from a video showing a car on fire, which was one of the arson attacks on property linked to him. Behind the image of Sir Keir is a Russian flag.

Russia was behind arson attacks targeting PM, BBC reveals

Evidence shows Russians directing the plot and stoking tensions with fake far-right and Muslim groups.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do

OP posts:
Allywill · Today 00:33

My husband and I were just talking about this strange story. They set fire to a car Kier Starmer “once owned”??

MyJustCat · Today 00:40

Allywill · Today 00:33

My husband and I were just talking about this strange story. They set fire to a car Kier Starmer “once owned”??

Its not like Russia doesn't know his current address - aka Downing Street.

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · Today 00:46

What do you mean by 'news blackout'? They announced who they had arrested after it happened. Given that it could have been part of a wider terrorist operation, speculation was cut down around it.

TallSturdyGirls · Today 00:55

Surely no one is surprised that Russia is meddling with our country (and many others). Its what they are best at.
Look at what they do on SM.

PerkingFaintly · Today 01:49

It's an excellent, detailed article, evidenced from lots of sources.

The Russian who recruited the arsonists called himself "EL" but is potentially Evgeny Lyukshin, son of a Russian diplomat. Not least because he couldn't stop himself boasting about his connections...

The article describes activities EL paid people to do or tried but failed to get recruits for.

These included spray-painting anti-Islam slogans on mosques, painting a Quaranic verse on a Conservative Club, and putting up by a mosque an anti-Muslim poster designed to appear like it had been written by a Hindu. Very detailed instructions, to make sure they got it right!

At one point he tried to hire some Bristol graffiti artists for this stuff. Unsurprisingly, they, er, declined his kind offer!Grin

EL set up astroturfing entities to carry this stuff out, including "Takbir Foundation", a fake Islamic jihad organisation, and "Direct Action", a fake far-right organisation.

So all absolutely standard Russian disinformation and provocateur stuff that we've been seeing for the last ten years at least.

They do like their hybrid warfare: fake organisation, social media messaging, paid grunts to do real-world actions when they can't wind folk up to act for free.

PerkingFaintly · Today 02:01

There's a share token on this link to a very good Financial Times article on the same, "Arson targeting Keir Starmer properties originated in Russia"
https://bsky.app/profile/joshspero.ft.com/post/3mod7ht73ls27

Both articles are quite long but the FT article covers slightly different aspects, so it's worth reading both.

None of this came as a shock to me. I've been loosely following the Russian trend for hybrid warfare, both disinformation and the use of hapless proxies for real-world attacks, for years.

But if much of this is new to you, these articles are an excellent primer. Lots of worked examples, so to speak.Grin

Josh Spero (@joshspero.ft.com)

Well https://as.ft.com/r/ea7af107-6139-4ea8-a8a3-5da3416fdf0a

https://bsky.app/profile/joshspero.ft.com/post/3mod7ht73ls27

PerkingFaintly · Today 02:10

BTW it's not clear why the OP has described the arsonists as "male models".

There's no evidence to suggest they're models, or even "models". Despite Russia-based social media accounts trying to spread this as a story.

PerkingFaintly · Today 02:13

From the article in the OP:

Russia was behind arson attacks targeting PM, BBC reveals
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do

EL's ideology and goals were plain.

Messages from the EL account in various Telegram channels show him glorifying Putin and Russia, attacking the Ukrainian people and promoting Russian narratives.

"It is obvious that Putin is the leader of the white race," he posted in one chat.

EL posted in jobs groups for Ukrainians, asking for "painters to do graffiti" in London - but in other chat groups he used deeply offensive Russian terms for Ukrainian people.

EL incited attacks on conscription centres in Ukraine, which has been at war since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. He said that people there who are in favour of the "white Slavic race" should join the "real Third Rome", a reference to the belief that Russia is the successor to the Roman Empire.

"Work for the glory of the nation to spite your enemies," EL added, before offering $1,000 (£749) and Russian citizenship as a reward for arson attacks.

EL also gave hints about his identity, offering Russians in other Telegram groups access to documents from Nato and the CIA. "My father leaks part of it to me, it was not for nothing that he went to Europe," he said.

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