Illia Bilyk, a 21-year-old Ukrainian national, admitted five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage on 17 September over graffiti at five Muslim institutions in east London, the BBC reported.

The BBC and Hope Not Hate linked Bilyk’s attacks to the same Russian network behind arsons targeting properties connected to former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The network operated Direct Action UK, a fake British far-right group that recruited people through Telegram and shared images of the resulting vandalism. Investigations have documented the same recruitment model across Europe for surveillance, sabotage, and other criminal assignments.

The Metropolitan Police said Bilyk sprayed offensive graffiti at three mosques, Noor Ul Islam Primary School, and the Islamic Shariah Council on 23 and 25 January 2025. Images then appeared in a Direct Action UK Telegram group. Russian operators created the group to pose as a British far-right movement, the BBC reported. Bilyk will be sentenced on 19 October.

The handler, known as EL or “El Money,” also recruited through Telegram groups used by Ukrainians seeking work, the BBC found. Ukrainian builder Roman Lavrynovych was paid in cryptocurrency and steered from posters and graffiti to arson.

In May 2025, Lavrynovych set fire to a car and properties connected to Starmer. Nobody was injured. Lavrynovych was jailed for seven years, while Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc was also convicted.

The BBC identified EL as Yevgeny Lyukshin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat and son of a senior Foreign Ministry official. It cited matching personal details, his presence in the Direct Action UK chat, family connections, and information-warfare training from Rybar, a sanctioned pro-Kremlin Telegram outlet.

However, the BBC could not conclusively establish that Lyukshin was EL, while British police said they had no evidence the attacks were state-sponsored. Lyukshin did not respond. The Russian Embassy denied any connection between Russia or its Foreign Ministry and unlawful activity.

Paid local recruits make Russia-linked attacks look homegrown

The London operation is one of several cases across Europe and other continents.

UK intelligence warned that Moscow increasingly relies on non-state actors, meaning hired civilians and criminals outside its formal services, for espionage, sabotage, assassination, and information operations.

This month, US prosecutors alleged that another Russian network recruited local residents for surveillance, sabotage, and murder-for-hire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on June 23, ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague.

Zelensky had earlier paid a visit to King Charles III at Windsor Castle before joining Starmer to discuss continued British support for Ukraine’s defense.

During a joint visit to a U.K. military training site for Ukrainian personnel, Starmer said he and Zelensky held "an excellent bilateral meeting" and had agreed to an "industrial military co-production agreement." He described the deal as "a massive step forward in the contribution that we can continue to make." Zelensky added the agreement "will be very strong and will transform both nations," though specific details were not disclosed.

Addressing Ukrainian troops, Starmer said it was "really humbling" to witness their "level of professionalism, commitment and bravery." Around 58,000 Ukrainian service members have been trained under the international program based in the U.K.

Zelensky thanked the U.K for its consistent backing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. “We are very thankful to the UK... for such big support of Ukraine from the very beginning of this war,” he said. He noted that the UK-based training initiative has “strengthened our army” and enabled Ukraine to “survive and fight.”

The visit precedes the NATO summit in The Hague, where allies are set to unveil new defense spending targets. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said member states will aim to spend five percent of GDP on defense — a move he called “a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future.”

Under a compromise deal, members will commit to allocating at least 3.5 percent of GDP to core military expenditures and 1.5 percent to broader security areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.

Explained: How Ukraine and Russia swap prisoners of war

Even after Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Russia in 2022, prisoner exchanges have continued as one of the few remaining channels of communication between the two countries. Negotiated behind closed doors and carried out irregularly, POW swaps — and the decisions surrounding them — have long been shrouded in secrecy. Controversies have

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the U.K. on June 23 to conduct several meetings with "a primary goal" of deepening defense cooperation, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said in comments reported by Ukrinform.

Zelensky's visit comes just a few hours after yet another Russian attack on Kyiv, which killed at least seven and injured almost 30 people. A residential buliding was partially destroyed in a direct ballistic missile hit.

In the U.K., Zelensky is to meet with King Charles III, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as with the speakers of both houses of parliament, Lindsay Hoyle and John McFall, according to Nykyforov.

Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian military personnel undergoing training in the U.K. and representatives of think tanks.

This year, the U.K. has allocated 4.5 billion pounds ($5.8 billion) for military assistance to Ukraine, marking its largest annual commitment so far.

London remains one of Kyiv's most steadfast military partners, providing long-range missiles, armored vehicles, training, and political support against Russian aggression.

Russia pulls its scientists out of Iranian nuclear plant, as Israeli strikes threaten decades of collaboration

Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections. We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post