The intelligence services of the Russian Federation are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the U.S. and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said in announcing this week they'd thwarted a plot to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington, D.C.
Five people assumed to be living abroad were charged in the plot, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. It said a network of the Russian intelligence services has paid and tried to pay individuals in the United States and in other countries since 2024 to surveil and then kill Russian dissidents.
The associates recruited by the network also have been solicited to carry out acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are perceived to be aligned with Ukraine, the indictment said.
Among those charged in the unsealed indictment are Cuban and Venezuelan operatives who played central roles in recruiting hitmen, conducting pre-operational surveillance, and coordinating logistics for the network.
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Named in the federal indictment in New York:
— Yuri Khrameev, also known as “Colonel Yuri,” 63, of Russia, a former colonel in the Russian intelligence services who participated in the recruitment of multiple individuals to commit murder against perceived Russian dissidents.
— Kirill Khrameev, 27, of Russia, an officer in the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) and Yuri Khrameev’s son.
— Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, a Cuban national described as "an influential member of the Cuban diaspora living in Russia who has coordinated attacks for the RIS Network." Federal prosecutors allege Durruthy managed travel and logistics, including coordinating attacks in Prague, Czechia, and Lithuania, and obtaining surveillance media of the U.S.-based target's home.
— Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, alias "Viking," a Cuban national named as "a prolific recruiter for the RIS Network who has recruited or attempted to recruit multiple individuals in the United States."
— Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, a Venezuelan national who conspired alongside Suarez to recruit individuals in the U.S. to surveil and assassinate the unnamed Russian dissident.
Federal prosecutors said Suarez and Castro offered a U.S. resident between $1,000 and $1,500 to conduct surveillance and take photos of locations associated with the victim. They later offered $40,000 to "eliminate" or "disappear" the target. When the recruit declined to carry out the murder personally, Suarez noted he had "people in Mexico" who could assist.
In a statement U.S. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg warned that the defendants "operated as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreigners to carry out killings at the behest of the Kremlin."
Added U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald: "As alleged, the defendants, working for the intelligence services of Russia, conspired to cause destruction and mayhem around the world, including right here in the United States."
All defendants remain at large. All five face charges of conspiracy to finance terrorism, while Suarez and Castro also face charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
