Ukrainian Man Pleads Guilty to London Mosque Graffiti Linked to Russian Network
Police say the vandalism was directed by a Russian operative who paid Bilyk through Telegram as part of a wider sabotage campaign.
- On Friday, Illia Bilyk, 21, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates' Court to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage for spraying graffiti on east London mosques in January 2025.
- Bilyk was recruited on Telegram by an anonymous handler known as EL, identified by the BBC as Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin, who directed him to target specific locations for payment.
- This network, operating under the fake group Direct Action UK, was linked to arson attacks against former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with two Ukrainians jailed in June for those fires.
- Chief Superintendent Rhona Hunt of the Metropolitan Police stated, "We recognise that these incidents caused significant distress within Muslim communities," while Bilyk awaits sentencing on October 19 at Stratford Magistrates' Court.
- Investigations by the BBC and Hope not Hate revealed that Russia generated Islamophobic vandalism throughout London to provoke social division, demonstrating a coordinated state-backed campaign.
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The Ukrainian detained for vandalism of mosques in London and the perpetrators of the arson of the property of the already former Prime Minister Kir Starmer were recruited by the same Russian network of agents.
Ukrainian man admits vandalising east London mosques in graffiti attacks linked to Russian network
A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to spraying abusive graffiti on five Muslim institutions in east London, in attacks the BBC reports were linked to the Russian network behind arson plots targeting properties connected to former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. Illia Bilyk, 21, entered guilty pleas at Thames Magistrates’ Court to five counts of […]
A Ukrainian man has confessed to vandalism at London mosques. The BBC reports that he had links to a Russian gang responsible for arson attacks on properties and the car of former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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