WASHINGTON — U.S. prosecutors have charged five people accused of working with a Russian intelligence-linked network in alleged plots involving surveillance, recruitment and targeted killings, including an effort aimed at a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, D.C., area.
The allegations were detailed in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court and announced Tuesday, Sept. 15. Prosecutors say the network had operated since at least 2024 and sought to recruit people in the United States and abroad for surveillance and attacks against Russian dissidents and targets in countries supporting Ukraine.
Five Defendants Named
The defendants identified by U.S. authorities are Yuri Khrameev, 63; his son Kirill Khrameev, 27; Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35; Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35; and Angel Eduardo Castro, 22.
According to prosecutors, Yuri Khrameev and his son were connected to Russian intelligence, while Durruthy was described as an influential member of the Cuban diaspora in Russia. Suarez and Castro were allegedly involved in recruiting people in the United States.
All five remain at large, according to the latest reports.
Alleged Plot Reached Washington
One of the most serious allegations involves an attempted recruitment operation targeting a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington area.
Prosecutors allege that a U.S.-based recruit was asked to conduct surveillance connected to the intended target. After completing surveillance work, the person allegedly declined an offer of $40,000 to carry out the killing.
Authorities say another recruitment effort in 2025 involved an offer of approximately $25,000 to target a person in Lithuania who was described by the alleged network as a critic of Russia. That prospective recruit also declined.
Prosecutors Allege a Wider International Network
The case extends beyond alleged plots against individual dissidents.
According to the indictment, the network allegedly sought to recruit operatives for attacks against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries viewed by the group as aligned with Ukraine.
U.S. authorities say the network’s activities had expanded after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, moving beyond dissidents and defectors toward targets associated with countries supporting Kyiv.
The Financial Times described the indictment as a rare public U.S. accusation involving an alleged Kremlin-backed assassination network operating partly on American soil.
What the Defendants Are Charged With
All five defendants face an alleged conspiracy to finance terrorism charge.
Three — Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro — additionally face conspiracy to commit murder for hire, according to the Justice Department’s case as reported by Reuters.
The terrorism-financing conspiracy carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, while the murder-for-hire conspiracy carries a potential maximum of 10 years if defendants are convicted.
Because the case has only reached the charging stage, the allegations have not been tested at trial.
Russia Has Previously Denied Similar Allegations
The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest charges, according to Reuters.
Russia has previously rejected U.S. and Western allegations that its intelligence services conduct assassination or other covert operations abroad.
The latest case therefore adds another point of tension between Washington and Moscow as U.S. authorities continue investigating alleged foreign intelligence activity inside the United States and across Europe.
A New Test for U.S. Counterintelligence
For U.S. authorities, the case highlights the difficulty of detecting foreign intelligence operations that rely on recruitment of people already living in the target country.
The alleged network reportedly attempted to use locally recruited individuals for surveillance and other tasks rather than relying exclusively on Russian intelligence personnel.
The FBI said multiple field offices and partner agencies worked together to disrupt the alleged operation before the planned killing could take place.
The case will now move into the federal court process, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
For now, the indictment offers the government’s account of an alleged international network — but the next stage will be whether prosecutors can turn those allegations into evidence that survives in court.
WWC ONE MEDIA G.A
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