FBI Disrupts Russian Plot to Assassinate Dissidents in U.S.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation disrupted a plot by Russian intelligence services to carry out targeted killings and acts of terrorism across the United States and European nations supporting Ukraine. A federal indictment unsealed in Manhattan charges five individuals, who remain at large, with conspiracy to finance terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

The network, active since 2024, initially focused on Russian dissidents and defectors before expanding its targets to include civilian and military infrastructure in countries allied with Ukraine. In one instance during the summer of 2026, the group recruited a Brooklyn resident to surveil a prominent Russian dissident in Washington, D.C. While the resident provided photos and videos for small payments, they rejected a $40,000 offer to eliminate or disappear the target.

Among those charged are three high-ranking members: former colonel Yuri Khrameev, Federal Security Service officer Kirill Khrameev, and Cuban national Oemis Romagoza Durruthy. U.S. officials stated the network conspired to cause destruction and mayhem around the world, including within the United States.