U.S. accuses Russia of plot to kill a prominent dissident in Washington

The Kremlin orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot against a prominent Russian dissident in Washington, D.C., this summer, the Department of Justice has said, as it unsealed charges against five people it alleged were part of a “global assassination network” aimed at causing “destruction and mayhem around the world.” The five people charged are still at large, the DOJ said in the indictment unsealed late Tuesday, describing the wider operation being run by Russian intelligence as “brazen, aggressive, and far-reaching.”The FBI said it had disrupted the plot, although officials did not detail how.Since at least 2024, the network is alleged to have paid Americans and foreigners to spy on targets, “carry out targeted killings,” and “commit acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine,” the DOJ said.Asked for a response to the allegations by NBC News, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing call with reporters that “until we have heard or seen any reasonable evidence and arguments based on at least something tangible, we do not consider it necessary to comment on this news.”Russia has for decades been accused by Western governments of carrying out attempted and successful killings abroad.Despite substantial evidence, it has always denied these allegations.The indictment did not name the intended victim in Washington.

The DOJ lists the defendants as Yuri Khrameev, known as “Colonel Yuri,” 63, and his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, both of Russia; Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, known as “Viking,” both 35 and Cuban nationals; and Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, of Venezuela.The indictment describes Durruthy as “an influential member of the Cuban diaspora living in Russia,” where it says Suarez and Castro also reside.All face a conspiracy to finance terrorism charge.Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face an additional char...