Washington, D.C. — Federal authorities say they disrupted an alleged Russian intelligence plot to assassinate a prominent Kremlin critic living in the Washington area, unveiling charges against five people accused of operating as part of a broader international network.
The Justice Department said the defendants worked for or with Russian intelligence services and sought to recruit people in the United States and abroad to conduct surveillance and targeted killings. Prosecutors allege the network has operated since at least 2024 and also plotted attacks against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries viewed as supporting Ukraine.
According to the indictment, operatives offered as much as $40,000 to kill the U.S.-based Russian dissident after first recruiting people to monitor the target. Authorities said the person approached to carry out the killing refused. A separate alleged plot involved a $25,000 offer to murder another target in Lithuania.
The five defendants include Russian nationals Yuri Khrameev and Kirill Khrameev, Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro. All remain at large. Some face additional murder-for-hire charges.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case demonstrates the government’s effort to stop foreign-directed violence inside the United States.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in similar overseas operations and said credible evidence would be needed to support the latest allegations. The charges remain allegations, and none of the defendants has been convicted.
Sources
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