Ukraine · Russia · The Guardian Technology
Telegram questioned by Ofcom after arsonist who targeted Starmer-linked properties recruited on app
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Telegram is facing questions from Ofcom over how it detects and prevents illegal incitement after a Ukrainian man was found guilty of carrying out arson attacks on a car and property associated with Keir Starmer.
Key facts
- Police recovered more than 320 messages between El Money and Lavrynovych on Telegram dating back to September 2024
- Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was convicted of conspiring with others to commit arson attacks in May 2025 at two properties linked to Starmer, and setting ablaze a Toyota the prime minister once owned
- He and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national who was found guilty of one count of arson, are due to be sentenced on Friday
- Telegram is run by Russian-born Pavel Durov, a self-avowed libertarian who left the country in 2017 and relocated himself and the company to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
Summary
A spokesperson for the regulator said it had contacted the messaging app “to seek further clarification” because the arsonist had been directed on Telegram by a handler linked to Russia. Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was convicted of conspiring with others to commit arson attacks in May 2025 at two properties linked to Starmer, and setting ablaze a Toyota the prime minister once owned in a street in north London. He and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national who was found guilty of one count of arson, are due to be sentenced on Friday.