Russian Dissident Plot: US Charges Five in Alleged Scheme

US authorities have charged five people in an alleged Russian intelligence-linked network that sought to surveil and kill Russian dissidents and organize attacks against Infrastructure in countries viewed as supportive of Ukraine. The allegations were detailed in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on September 15, 2026.

At the center of the case is an alleged plot to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC, area. Prosecutors say people connected to the network recruited a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn, paid him to conduct surveillance and later offered him $40,000 to kill the target.

The man carried out surveillance and supplied photographs and videos, according to the indictment, but declined to carry out the killing. Prosecutors say recruiters then looked for other people who could complete the job.

The case has broader significance because US authorities describe the alleged operation not as an isolated murder-for-hire scheme but as part of a network that has operated across several countries since at least 2024. The indictment alleges efforts involving Russian dissidents in the United States and Europe, as well as attacks on civilian and military infrastructure in European countries perceived to be aligned with Ukraine.

What the US indictment alleges

According to the US Department of Justice, the five defendants were part of what prosecutors call the Russian Intelligence Services Network, or RIS Network. The indictment alleges that the network has worked to recruit people inside and outside the United States for surveillance, attacks and targeted killings.

The defendants are Yuri Khrameev, his son Kirill Khrameev, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, Yaidel Delgado Suarez and Angel Eduardo Castro. Prosecutors say all five participated in a conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face a conspiracy charge related to murder for hire.

All five defendants are believed to remain at large. The Justice Department has emphasized that an indictment contains allegations, not convictions, and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

How the alleged Washington assassination plot unfolded

The alleged operation in the United States began with surveillance rather than an immediate attempt to carry out a killing.

Prosecutors say Suarez and Castro recruited a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn to identify and monitor a prominent Russian dissident believed to be in Washington. The person was allegedly given instructions for conducting surveillance and was paid or promised payments ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 for the assignment.

According to the indictment, the recruit visited two locations associated with the intended victim and provided photographs and videos to people connected to the network.

The surveillance then allegedly progressed toward a murder-for-hire arrangement. Prosecutors say the recruit was offered $40,000 to eliminate or make the dissident disappear. He refused to carry out the killing.

The alleged recruiters did not stop there. The indictment says they subsequently approached other people in the United States in an effort to find someone willing to complete the assassination.

That progression is one of the most important details in the case. The allegations describe a recruitment pipeline in which an individual could initially be approached for what appeared to be a relatively limited surveillance task before being offered substantially more money to carry out a killing.

The alleged network had an earlier European target

The Washington case was not the first alleged assassination effort described in the indictment.

Prosecutors say the network previously targeted an individual in Lithuania. In 2025, Kirill Khrameev allegedly recruited a US citizen to Travel to the target’s purported address and take photographs. The person was reportedly paid $200 for the surveillance.

The indictment says Yuri Khrameev subsequently offered approximately $25,000 for the target’s murder. Prosecutors allege that the target was described by the network as someone who was criticizing Russia and “distorting history.”

When the US citizen refused to carry out the killing, the indictment alleges that Yuri Khrameev proposed other forms of work, including attacks on infrastructure. Prosecutors say he described targets such as a warehouse or an electrical substation and linked the proposed operations to countries helping Ukraine.

The alleged Lithuania episode is significant because it shows how the US government’s case extends beyond the Washington plot. Prosecutors are describing a network that allegedly combined surveillance, recruitment, assassination efforts and infrastructure attacks across different countries.

From dissidents to countries supporting Ukraine

The Justice Department says the network initially focused on Russian dissidents and defectors but expanded its activity after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the indictment, the network began targeting countries perceived as allies of Ukraine. Prosecutors allege that members sought to organize acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in Europe.

The alleged shift is important because it broadens the potential purpose of the network. A campaign directed primarily at dissidents would have one set of targets: individuals viewed as political opponents or critics. An operation that also targets infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine has a wider strategic dimension.

The indictment alleges that Durruthy played a role in coordinating overseas operations. Prosecutors say he helped organize travel and logistics connected to an attack in Prague in June 2024 and another operation in Lithuania in September 2024.

Who are the five people charged?

The defendants include people whom US prosecutors describe as senior members of the alleged network and others accused of helping recruit individuals to carry out operations.

Yuri Khrameev, 63, is described by the Justice Department as a former colonel in Russian intelligence services. Prosecutors allege that he recruited individuals for murder operations and other activities.

Kirill Khrameev, 27, is identified as Yuri Khrameev’s son and an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service, commonly known as the FSB. The indictment describes the FSB as Russia’s principal security agency and successor to the Soviet KGB.

Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, is a Cuban national whom prosecutors describe as an influential member of the Cuban diaspora living in Russia. The indictment alleges that he coordinated travel, logistics and overseas activity for the network.

Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, also known as “Viking,” is described as a recruiter who allegedly attempted to bring several people in the United States into the network’s activities.

Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, is identified as a Venezuelan national whom prosecutors say participated with Suarez in efforts to recruit people in the United States for surveillance and an attempted killing.

Why the case matters beyond the five defendants

The investigation provides a rare public window into how US authorities say a foreign intelligence-linked network attempted to use people inside the United States to conduct operations.

The alleged use of recruited intermediaries is particularly important. Rather than requiring intelligence personnel themselves to conduct every operation, the indictment describes efforts to find individuals who could perform surveillance or violence for money.

That model can create distance between the alleged organizers and the eventual target. It can also make operations harder to detect because the person conducting surveillance may not appear to have an obvious connection to a foreign intelligence service.

The indictment suggests that the alleged network attempted to exploit this separation. Recruiters approached individuals for specific tasks, offered money and, in some instances, allegedly escalated from surveillance to assassination or infrastructure attacks.

However, the exact extent of the network’s activities remains an allegation that will have to be tested through the US judicial process.

The role of the FBI investigation

The case was investigated by the FBI‘s New York Field Office Counterintelligence Division, with significant assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations.

US officials said cooperation among different FBI offices and partner agencies helped authorities identify and disrupt the alleged plans. The investigation demonstrates why cases involving foreign intelligence activity often require coordination between counterintelligence, counterterrorism and federal law-enforcement teams.

The Southern District of New York is prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

What the charges mean legally

The five defendants are charged with conspiracy to finance terrorism, which carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face conspiracy to commit murder for hire, which carries a statutory maximum of 10 years.

Those are maximum penalties established by law, not sentences that the defendants have received or are guaranteed to receive. Any sentence in a future conviction would be determined by a judge under applicable law.

More importantly, the charges do not by themselves establish that the alleged Russian intelligence network committed every act described in the indictment. Prosecutors will have to prove the charged offenses in court.

What the case says about threats beyond Russia’s borders

The allegations come against a backdrop of heightened concern in the United States and Europe about foreign intelligence operations, sabotage and efforts to intimidate political opponents abroad.

The alleged activity described in this indictment covers several categories: surveillance, recruitment, attempted murder, infrastructure targeting and logistical coordination. That combination makes the case broader than a conventional espionage investigation.

It also shows how the consequences of geopolitical conflicts can extend beyond battlefields and formal military operations. If the allegations are established, individuals living in countries that are not directly involved in a conflict can become targets because of their political views, nationality or perceived connection to an opposing government.

What happens next in the Russian dissident case?

The immediate challenge for US prosecutors is that the defendants remain at large. Bringing them before a US court would be necessary for the criminal case to proceed against them personally.

The indictment nevertheless gives investigators a legal framework for pursuing the alleged network and documenting its activities. Future developments could depend on whether any of the accused are located, arrested or otherwise brought within US jurisdiction.

The case could also produce additional information about the alleged network’s recruitment methods, international contacts and other potential targets as the prosecution develops.

A foiled plot with wider implications

The Washington assassination allegation is the most immediate element of the case, but the indictment presents a much broader picture. US prosecutors say the alleged Russian intelligence-linked network operated across borders, recruited people in the United States and pursued both dissidents and infrastructure in countries viewed as supportive of Ukraine.

The alleged offer of $40,000 to kill a Russian dissident in the Washington area illustrates how an operation described as originating overseas could eventually depend on people recruited inside the United States. The earlier alleged attempt involving a target in Lithuania and the infrastructure-related allegations suggest that prosecutors believe the network’s objectives extended beyond a single individual.

For now, however, those conclusions remain allegations in a federal indictment. The defendants have not been convicted, and the evidence will be tested in court.

What is already clear is that the case has placed alleged foreign-directed recruitment and targeted violence on US soil at the center of a major counterintelligence prosecution. Its eventual significance will depend on what prosecutors can prove, whether the defendants can be brought before the court and what further evidence emerges about the network’s activities in the United States and Europe.