Federal authorities have dismantled a Russian intelligence operation that sought to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident believed to be residing in Washington D.C., officials announced Tuesday. The case has exposed a broader network of covert killings and terrorist plots targeting dissidents and Ukraine-aligned nations.
Five individuals believed to be living outside the United States were charged following the unsealing of an indictment in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors say the Russian intelligence network has been paying operatives inside the U.S. and abroad since at least 2024 to surveil and kill Russian dissidents.
Among those charged are three senior figures within Russian intelligence, including Yuri Khrameev, a former colonel in Russian intelligence services, and his son Kirill Khrameev, an active officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB. Also charged is Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, a Cuban national described as an influential figure within the Cuban diaspora currently living in Russia.
Yuri Khrameev and two co-defendants recruited a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn to conduct surveillance on the intended target. That individual was paid between $1,000 and $1,500 to photograph locations tied to the dissident and provided operatives with multiple images and videos.
When offered $40,000 to carry out the murder, the Brooklyn resident refused. Undeterred, members of the network then solicited additional individuals inside the United States to complete the assassination.
James C. Barnacle Jr., head of the FBI’s New York field office, said the agency dismantled the operation through sustained and intensive investigative work. He noted that Russian intelligence operatives and their associates had conspired to threaten and murder individuals on American soil and in countries across the world.
Darren B. Cox, director of the FBI’s Washington D.C. field office, credited multiple FBI divisions and partner agencies for acting swiftly to neutralize the threat. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald stated that those charged had conspired to unleash destruction across the globe including within U.S. borders.
Authorities say the network initially focused on Russian defectors and dissidents but significantly expanded its scope following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The group has since targeted civilian and military infrastructure in European nations perceived as supporting Ukraine.
The indictment signals a sharp escalation in Russian covert operations being conducted on Western soil. Federal officials say the investigation remains active and that efforts to recruit operatives inside the United States have continued in recent months.