US Justice Department indicts five individuals for alleged Russian-linked terror and murder plots

The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Tuesday charging five individuals with conspiracy to finance terrorism and, for three of them, conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly worked for Russian intelligence services to plan attacks and killings both in the United States and abroad. The accused include Russian nationals Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, Cuban citizens Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35, and Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro, 22. All remain at large.

Attorney General Todd Blanche briefed reporters, stating that the alleged scheme involved attempts to eliminate a Russian dissident believed to reside in the Washington, D.C., area. Justice Department officials added that the network recruited individuals in the United States to conduct surveillance on Russian dissidents, targeting persons in the U.S. and in Lithuania. According to the indictment, one recruit was offered $40,000 to make a U.S.-based target “disappear,” while another was promised $25,000 the previous year to kill a person in Lithuania.

Russia’s embassy in the United States has not responded to inquiries. Moscow has previously denied involvement in assassination operations on foreign soil.