FT: UK counterterrorism police investigate Russian involvement in Starmer arson attacks — Novaya Gazeta Europe

British Pirme Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at Northwood military base in west London, Britain, 22 May 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN / POOL

British security officials are looking into whether Russia could be behind a spate of three recent arson attacks on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Friday, citing senior government officials.

Earlier this month, two Ukrainian men and a Romanian national were accused of setting fire to Starmer’s north London family home, a car and a residential property that the prime minister previously owned. On Wednesday, the trio “and others unknown” were charged with conspiracy to commit life-endangering arson, according to local police authorities.

Sources cited by the FT say UK government officials are investigating whether the trio accused of starting the fires may have been recruited by actors in Russia. They also noted that discussions are underway on how best to respond if this connection is confirmed.

In mid-May, following the attacks, Starmer told British MPs that he suspected the arson attacks were “an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for”.

The FT says that Downing Street declined to comment on their story, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment.

In the last year, Western governments and intelligence agencies have accused Russia of being behind a series of “hybrid warfare” attacks involving the arson of public buildings, disruption of transport networks, and other acts of sabotage.

Most recently, the Polish government ordered the closure of a Russian consulate in Krakow, Poland’s second city, in retaliation for a “reprehensible” arson attack which destroyed Poland’s biggest shopping centre in May 2024.

Explaining the decision, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cited intelligence from Lithuanian investigators, who reported that Russian military intelligence had recruited Ukrainian citizens to carry out the attacks.

After the consulate’s shuttering, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova vowed “an adequate response to these inadequate steps” and criticised the Polish government for “acting against the interests of its citizens”.