Escort, provocation, or intelligence operation: what is known about the Ukrainians who set fire to the British Prime Minister’s residence

More details are emerging about the scandal involving the arson attack on the house and car of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in which a group of Ukrainians is accused.

Currently, three arsonists have been identified and have already appeared in court over this high-profile case. They are 21-year-old Roman Lavrynovych from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, 26-year-old Stanislav Karpyuk from Chernivtsi, and 34-year-old Petro Pochynok. All three had been living in London in recent years and were acquainted with each other.

Lavrynovych was the first to be arrested. Karpyuk was apprehended at Luton Airport in London by counter-terrorism officers as he was preparing to board a Wizz Air flight to Romania, allegedly to visit his sister.

According to British media, he lived at the same London address as Pochynok.

They are suspected of setting fire to Starmer’s privately owned £2 million home (he himself resides at the official Downing Street residence and rents out the property to his sister) and a Toyota Rav4 (which he had sold to a neighbor after becoming prime minister and no longer used).

Karpyuk also holds Romanian citizenship (many residents of Bukovina have Romanian passports). He moved to Britain nine years ago with his parents and recently completed a two-year business course at a university in Canterbury.

According to British sources, Lavrynovych first came to the UK from the village of Pniv near Nadvirna in the Ivano-Frankivsk region long before the war, 11 years ago. His mother was working in London. He studied for a year at a British school but later returned to Ukraine. After Russia’s invasion, he went to Germany, then moved to London a year later.

Roman initially lived with his mother and three younger siblings, but when his sister couldn’t enroll in school in London, she returned to Ukraine, while he stayed with his grandmother. He began doing construction work and also signed a contract with a modeling agency. He regularly goes to the gym in south London. Social media photos show him doing push-ups in his bedroom, where an English flag hangs on the wall. On social media, Lavrynovych describes himself as an “aspiring model” willing to do any job for £20 an hour (the UK minimum wage is about £13 an hour).

His last social media post was on May 11, where he wished his mother a happy Mother’s Day: “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! You are my entire universe. Thank you for every morning you woke up for my happiness. Wishing you endless love, harmony, and inspiration every day.” He describes himself as a “kind soul.”

There are also rumors that he allegedly sent intimate photos and scammed people for money, leading to complaints in Telegram groups (this information is unconfirmed).

After the scandal broke, his mother, Nadiya Lavrynovych, deleted her social media accounts.

Karpyuk, like Lavrynovych, worked in construction and dreamed of becoming a famous model.

Rumors have spread in British social media that Starmer was allegedly acquainted with the young men, who are referred to as escorts or “rent boys.” According to these claims, they allegedly set the fires as revenge for unpaid services. The British prime minister has not commented on these allegations. One unverified post on X (formerly Twitter) stated: “Starmer said that Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, who set fire to his house, wasn’t a rent boy but a refugee he played cards with” (this was not publicly stated by Starmer and may be a leak from police sources).

British social media has exploded with memes and jokes about the incident. Starmer has been reminded of his recent public HIV test and his slip-up when he mistakenly called Israeli hostages “sausages” instead of “hostages.” The three Ukrainian men are now jokingly referred to as “Starmer’s sausages” or “Starmer’s hammers.”

Some speculate this may become the biggest scandal in modern British history.

There is currently no public evidence linking Starmer directly to the Ukrainian arsonists.

“There are several theories behind the arson. The first is personal revenge. The key question is whether Starmer knew the arsonists and what kind of relationship they had. The second is a provocation by political opponents. Given that the right-wing Reform Party is leading over both Labour and the Conservatives in polls, and with growing dissatisfaction in society amid economic failures, any scandal could trigger early elections. The third theory is foreign interference, possibly by intelligence services aiming to destabilize the country. There is speculation that the arsonists may have been bribed for this purpose. Russian intelligence is suspected, as this resembles cases in Ukraine where Russians recruit Ukrainian teenagers via social media to burn military vehicles,” a source close to the British government told the Strana publication.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian community groups in Britain are expressing concern that this scandal could damage the reputation and prospects of Ukrainians in the country. Angry comments have also appeared on Lavrynovych’s social media page.

One Ukrainian blogger, Nastya Melnychenko, wrote on his Facebook: “Have you really become so narrow-minded at your age that you betrayed your homeland and fellow citizens like this? What were you thinking? Was it for money? How much is betrayal worth? Or was it because of threats? Then why didn’t you ask for help from the British? You thank your mom, but she raised a traitor.”