Wow. This is a story to rival the Skipals and the mysterious death of David Kelly...
The BBC reports definitively that Russia was behind the arson attacks on Keir Starmer's property (see source link)
Russia was behind arson attacks targeting PM, BBC reveals
However, the BBC also comments:
But the trial of the three men was strange, mainly because the true author of the drama was never revealed.
The case focused strictly on a financial motive. The identity, connections and motives of the anonymous handler who offered Lavrynovych money for the attacks were deliberately avoided.
And in another report, the BBC makes this a little clearer:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9v2yd8vk04o
During the trial in the absence of the jury, lawyers for Lavrynovych applied for prosecutors to hand over wider information held on "El Money", including whether he was associated with intelligence services or was a state informant, and where he was based. Lavrynovych's defence involved him claiming he felt intimidated by the contact and was therefore acting under duress.
"El Money's" actions were "redolent of tradecraft", meaning the techniques used by spies, the defence lawyers said.
But the judge refused the application, ruling that it was "wholly irrelevant" to the issues before the jury.
Since Lavrynovych knew nothing about any of the contact's connections, this material could only support a "retrospective assessment" that the handler posed a threat.
While the trial of the three men focused on the financial motive of the offences, the identity and motives of the handler who orchestrated the attack was never revealed.
However, a BBC Panorama investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting "El Money" is 23-year-old Russian diplomat Evgeny Lyukshin, the son of a senior official who has been schooled in information warfare by spies and propagandists.
The BBC investigation found that "El Money" offered Russian citizenship in return for other attacks, and glorified Russian President Vladimir Putin in messages.
It is simply bizarre that if this was a clear cut example of Russian interference in the UK that the culprit (i.e. a Russian operative) was not clearly stated in court.
How can the sponsor of the crimes be 'wholly irrelevant' to a case?
We only care about a few tawdry operatives but not the Mr Big pulling the strings?
If this had been Tommy Robinson or Palestine Action behind a series of arson attacks on the UK PM you can bet your life that this would not have been found 'wholly irrelevant' to the case.
By obscuring all this in court the judge simply opened the way for conspiracy theorists to posit alternative interpretations such as that Lyukshin is in fact an MI6 double-agent/creation and to pander to more salacious claims about Starmer and Eastern-European 'rent-boys'.
The BBC's fact checking that claims Russia is behind all this, while probably as thorough as it could be, can't be certain.
Only a trial of Evgeny Lyukshin could really establish the facts.
So if it is so clear that this right-wing 'hate crime' was sponsored by 'white supremicist' Evgeny Lyukshin then why has an international arrest warrant not been raised for him to explain all this in court even though the likelihood of that happening is basically nil?
The crimes are not quite as bad as blowing up Alexander Dugin's daughter in Moscow but still - surely the British state should be making more fuss about this trial than it is?