DOJ Unveils Alleged Russian Assassination Network

The U.S. Justice Department has unsealed an indictment accusing five people linked to Russian intelligence of operating a global network targeting Kremlin critics and supporting sabotage operations in Europe. The defendants include former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameev, his son Kirill, two Cuban nationals and a Venezuelan national. All are believed to be in Russia and remain at large. Prosecutors allege that members of the network pursued a murder-for-hire plot in July and August targeting a Russian dissident believed to live in the Washington, D.C., area. Cuban and Venezuelan operatives allegedly recruited a Brooklyn resident to photograph and record locations associated with the dissident, offering between $1,000 and $1,500 for surveillance and another $40,000 to kill or abduct the target. The Brooklyn resident reportedly declined to participate in a killing and was asked whether he knew someone else who might do it. The indictment also alleges that Yuri and Kirill Khrameev tried to recruit a U.S. citizen in Lithuania to target a person accused of criticizing Russia. After the citizen declined a proposed killing, Yuri Khrameev allegedly offered payment for arson attacks against a warehouse or electrical substation. Prosecutors further connect the network to failed 2024 arson plots involving buses in the Czech Republic and a Lithuanian facility supplying radio equipment to Ukraine. All five defendants face terrorism-finance conspiracy charges, while three face additional murder-for-hire conspiracy charges. The Americans allegedly approached for surveillance were not charged. Justice Department officials characterized the alleged activity as a threat to U.S. sovereignty and national security. The case is presented within a broader history of alleged Russian operations against dissidents, including the poisonings of Alexei Navalny, Sergei Skripal and Alexander Litvinenko. The article also notes NATO concerns about Russian sabotage and other provocative actions in Europe, as well as similar alleged efforts by Iran and China to monitor or attack dissidents in the United States.

The US Department of Justice has unsealed charges against five men accused of working with Russian intelligence to conduct surveillance and organize targeted killings in the United States and Europe. The defendants are Russian nationals Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son Kirill Khrameev, 27; Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35; and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro, 22. All five remain at large. The DOJ charged all five with conspiracy to commit financial terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez, and Castro also face charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Prosecutors allege that the men were recruited to carry out attacks and assassinations internationally, including in the United States. The charges were unsealed one day after DW published an investigation into Romagoza Durruthy. According to that investigation, Durruthy worked as a salsa teacher in Russia and recruited Spanish-speaking operatives in 2024 to conduct sabotage across Europe. The recruits allegedly carried out arson attacks against businesses and military equipment intended for Ukraine, while Durruthy directed the operations and organized their travel. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the alleged plans included an attempt to assassinate a Russian dissident in Washington, DC. The DOJ also said recruits in the United States were asked to surveil Russian dissidents and monitor civilian and military infrastructure in European countries, including Lithuania. One recruit was allegedly offered $40,000 to “eliminate” or “disappear” a US resident, while another was allegedly offered $25,000 to kill someone living in Lithuania. Russia has previously denied involvement in similar plots abroad, including in the United States. The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US Department of Justice has announced charges against five alleged Russian intelligence agents accused of operating an international network to recruit people for attacks and assassinations ordered by the Kremlin. The suspects, who remain at large, allegedly began operating the network in at least 2024 and targeted individuals and infrastructure in the United States and Europe. The group’s most recent alleged operation involved an attempt to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the United States. The Justice Department did not identify the target. Prosecutors said the plot collapsed when a person recruited to conduct surveillance refused to carry out the killing, despite being offered $40,000. The statement also described a failed 2025 murder plot in Lithuania against a person accused by the suspects of “telling lies about Russia.” The three principal suspects were identified as Yuri Khrameev, a 63-year-old former Russian intelligence colonel; his 27-year-old son, Kirill Khrameev; and Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, a 35-year-old Cuban national. Yaidel Delgado Suarez, also from Cuba, and Angel Eduardo Castro of Venezuela allegedly acted as recruiting agents in the United States. US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said the suspects were part of a global assassination network that extended into the United States and sought to recruit both American citizens and foreign nationals. The Justice Department also cited alleged plans to attack civilian and military infrastructure in European countries supporting Ukraine. Attorney General Todd Blanche said US authorities were seeking to prevent adversaries from carrying out violence and terrorism on American soil. The article does not report any arrests, and all allegations remain accusations because the suspects have not been taken into custody.

The US Department of Justice has charged five people over alleged Russian intelligence-backed plots involving surveillance, recruitment and targeted killings in the United States and other countries. The indictment, unsealed on Sept 15, says the suspects worked for Russian intelligence services to conduct attacks and murders around the world. All five individuals were reportedly still at large when the charges were announced. The defendants are Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son, Kirill Khrameev, 27; Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35; and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro, 22. They were charged with an alleged conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Attorney-General Todd Blanche said the alleged plots included attempts to murder a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, D.C., area. According to the Justice Department, the network recruited several people in the United States to conduct surveillance on Russian dissidents, including one in the US and another in Lithuania. One US recruit was allegedly offered US$40,000 to eliminate or disappear a person residing in the United States. In 2025, another recruit was allegedly offered US$25,000 to kill someone living in Lithuania. The allegations involve international coordination, recruitment and payments for targeted violence. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has previously denied carrying out similar plots on foreign soil, including in the United States. The charges are allegations, and the defendants had not been reported to be in custody.