U.S. authorities have accused a Russian intelligence-linked network of organizing a murder-for-hire operation targeting a prominent Russian dissident in Washington, D.C., as part of what prosecutors describe as a broader campaign of overseas violence and intimidation.
The allegations were made public after the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging five people who prosecutors say were involved in a network connected to Russian intelligence. The defendants remain at large.
According to prosecutors, the alleged operation extended beyond the United States and involved efforts to recruit people to conduct surveillance, carry out killings and attack civilian and military infrastructure in European countries viewed by Moscow as supportive of Ukraine.
Five People Charged
The defendants named in the indictment are Russian nationals Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son, Kirill Khrameev, 27; Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, also known as “Viking,” both 35; and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro, 22.
Prosecutors allege that Yuri Khrameev previously served as a Russian intelligence colonel, while his son is an officer with Russia’s Federal Security Service, commonly known as the FSB.
Durruthy is described in the indictment as an influential figure within the Cuban diaspora in Russia. Prosecutors also say Suarez and Castro were living in Russia.
All five defendants face a charge related to conspiring to finance terrorism. Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional allegations involving conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
The indictment does not publicly identify the intended target in Washington.
Alleged Surveillance Operation
Prosecutors say the network recruited a Venezuelan national living in Brooklyn during the summer and offered him between $1,000 and $1,500 to gather photographs and video of two locations connected to the Washington target.
The individual allegedly completed the surveillance assignment but rejected a subsequent offer of approximately $40,000 to kill or abduct the target.
Investigators say the alleged organizers then attempted to find someone else willing to carry out the killing.
According to the indictment, Suarez also approached other people in the United States and offered significant payments for the assassination. Prosecutors say the alleged participants used coded language when discussing the operation and provided instructions intended to make surveillance more difficult to detect.
Suarez allegedly told one recruit that potential killers in Mexico could be used, although those individuals were reportedly delayed.
Another Alleged Target in Europe
The indictment describes a separate operation involving a Russian dissident believed to be residing in Lithuania.
Prosecutors allege that the network initially paid a U.S. citizen about $200 to photograph the person’s address in 2025. The individual was later offered roughly $25,000 to carry out a killing but refused.
Authorities say the alleged organizers subsequently proposed other forms of sabotage, including setting fire to a warehouse or attacking an electricity facility.
According to prosecutors, the proposed attacks were intended to target countries providing assistance to Ukraine.
Durruthy is separately accused of helping coordinate logistics connected to alleged attacks in Prague in June 2024 and Lithuania several months later.
Lithuanian authorities previously identified Durruthy as a wanted suspect in a case involving alleged attempts to set fire to military equipment destined for Ukraine, according to Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.
Russia Rejects Need to Comment Without Evidence
The allegations come amid longstanding disputes between Russia and Western governments over accusations of Russian intelligence operations abroad.
Asked about the new U.S. charges, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not consider it necessary to comment without what he described as tangible evidence supporting the allegations.
Russian authorities have repeatedly denied Western accusations concerning alleged assassination operations overseas.
The latest U.S. indictment nevertheless represents a significant escalation in the public allegations, with American prosecutors describing the alleged network as international in scope.
FBI Says Operation Was Disrupted
The FBI said it disrupted the alleged plot but did not publicly disclose the specific investigative methods or actions that led to the operation being stopped.
John A. Eisenberg, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for national security, said the defendants were allegedly part of a network that attempted to recruit people inside and outside the United States to carry out killings on behalf of the Kremlin.
James C. Barnacle Jr., who leads the FBI’s New York office, said investigators worked with partners to disrupt the alleged operation.
The charges remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case is likely to receive close attention as U.S. authorities continue examining alleged Russian intelligence activities and efforts to target opponents of the Kremlin outside Russia.
