US charges five in alleged plot to murder Russian dissident
In the United States, the Department of Justice has charged five alleged members of a network that, according to the investigation, was coordinated by the Russian special services of the aggressor state Russia. They are suspected of preparing murders of Kremlin critics, including an alleged plot to kill an unnamed Russian dissident in the United States. CBS News reports, citing an indictment released by federal prosecutors in New York.
Alleged plot in the United States
According to investigators, in July and August, a Venezuelan operative and one of the Cuban operatives tried to recruit a Brooklyn resident to conduct photo and video surveillance of two locations connected to the Russian dissident. He was allegedly promised between $1,000 and $1,500 for the work.
As alleged in the indictment, an additional $40,000 was offered for eliminating or making the target disappear. US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the operatives believed that the dissident lived in the Washington area. The Brooklyn resident agreed to take photographs but, according to the investigation, did not want to undertake tasks related to murder.
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The accused and episodes in Europe
Among the accused are 63-year-old former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameyev, his son Kirill, two Cubans and a Venezuelan. The US Department of Justice said that all five are believed to be in Russia and remain at large. All are charged with conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, while Yuri Khrameyev, as well as the Cuban and Venezuelan operatives linked to the US episode, are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
The indictment also concerns an alleged attempt by Yuri and Kirill Khrameyev to recruit a US citizen in Lithuania to kill a person whom they accused of spreading false information about Russia. After he refused, the man was allegedly offered money to set fire to a warehouse or an electrical substation. Prosecutors also said that members of the network helped organize two unsuccessful arson attempts in Europe in 2024 — involving buses in the Czech Republic and a Lithuanian facility that supplies Ukraine with radio equipment.
US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg called these alleged actions a blatant violation of US sovereignty and a threat to national security. Russian authorities have previously denied involvement in poisonings and persecution of critics of the regime abroad.
