The elaborate operation aimed to target Chichvarkin’s Michelin-starred establishment located in Mayfair as well as its associated wine shop. While the plan was thwarted before it could be executed, the gang did succeed in igniting a Ukrainian-owned warehouse in East London earlier in March 2024.
Evidence presented during the month-long trial included thousands of messages that point to the involvement of Russian state operatives collaborating with local criminal groups to carry out espionage and sabotage activities across Europe. Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command described the case as a significant example of state-sponsored criminal behavior, clearly illustrating how proxies are used by the Russian government for serious offenses in other nations.
On Tuesday, a jury delivered guilty verdicts for three men involved in the arson incident, with a fourth man being convicted for failing to alert authorities about the planned attack on Chichvarkin. Ringleaders Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves had previously confessed their contributions to the criminal enterprise. The case underscores an alarming trend of foreign state interference being executed through local criminal channels.
Evidence presented during the month-long trial included thousands of messages that point to the involvement of Russian state operatives collaborating with local criminal groups to carry out espionage and sabotage activities across Europe. Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command described the case as a significant example of state-sponsored criminal behavior, clearly illustrating how proxies are used by the Russian government for serious offenses in other nations.
On Tuesday, a jury delivered guilty verdicts for three men involved in the arson incident, with a fourth man being convicted for failing to alert authorities about the planned attack on Chichvarkin. Ringleaders Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves had previously confessed their contributions to the criminal enterprise. The case underscores an alarming trend of foreign state interference being executed through local criminal channels.
