The U.S. has exposed a Russian intelligence network that was planning assassinations in the U.S. and the EU
In the U.S., charges have been filed against five members of an espionage ring linked to Russian intelligence agencies. According to the U.S. investigation, the ring was involved in recruiting operatives to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe and was planning the assassination of a Russian dissident on U.S. soil.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that investigators believe the ringleaders of the espionage network are 63-year-old Yuri Khrameyev, a former colonel in the Russian intelligence services, and his 27-year-old son, Kirill Khramyev, who is an FSB officer.
In addition to them, the defendants include a Cuban citizen and two Venezuelan citizens.
According to U.S. authorities, members of the network may have coordinated activities related to the planning of violent crimes and the financing of terrorist activities.
U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg stated that, according to the investigation, the defendants were part of an international network whose activities extended to the United States.
“These defendants, according to the investigation, operated as part of a global network of contract killers that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to carry out assassinations at the behest of the Kremlin,” John Eisenberg said.
Investigators believe the network used recruited operatives to carry out tasks for Russian intelligence services outside the Russian Federation.
Previously, analysts at YouControl reported that Russia often obtains sensitive information about Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex not through government registries, but through agents and informants.
According to the study, a significant portion of such recruitments takes place via Telegram, often disguising offers as opportunities to make “easy money.”
This is evidenced by a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice and a report by ABC News.
In Poland, at least 40 new criminal cases were opened in the first eight months of 2026 under articles related to espionage and activities on behalf of foreign intelligence services. These figures represent only the statistics from the country’s central prosecutor’s office.
The United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands have issued a joint warning about spyware that, according to their information, is being used by cyber actors linked to the Iranian government against dissidents, activists, and journalists.
