UK investigates potential Russian involvement in arson attacks on Starmer’s properties

T he British state is confronting a deeply unsettling question: Were fires deliberately set at the family home and former residences of Prime Minister Keir Starmer part of a Kremlin-directed campaign to destabilise Western democracies?

With three men (two Ukrainians and one Romanian) facing charges of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, Whitehall is scrambling to ascertain whether this is a grim milestone in Russia’s hybrid warfare.

The fires, which took place in early May 2025, struck three properties linked to Starmer, including his Kentish Town residence in north London, a previously owned vehicle, and another former home. The attacks were not random, nor was their target low profile. While the homes were not currently occupied by the Prime Minister himself, the symbolic nature of the targets could not be clearer.

“This was an attack on all of us, on democracy, and the values that we stand for,” Starmer declared, framing the incident as more than personal. It is, he implied, an affront to democratic institutions.

The Financial Times reports on Saturday morning that British security officials are investigating whether the accused arsonists were recruited by Russian operatives. Although no ideological ties to Russia have been identified, and one suspect previously shared pro-Ukrainian content online, the possibility that they acted as unwitting or mercenary proxies is not discounted.