FBI says Russian intelligence plotted targeted killings in US and Europe
U.S. authorities allege a Russian intelligence network attempted to recruit people in the United States and Europe to surveil and murder individuals linked to Ukraine, and say the plot was disrupted by FBI investigations.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed an indictment accusing a network tied to Russian intelligence of planning targeted killings in the United States and several European countries that support Ukraine. The indictment alleges the network paid, and sought to pay, individuals to conduct surveillance on prospective victims and offered large sums for the murders.
James Barnacle Jr., head of the FBI’s New York office, said the agency disrupted the scheme "through relentless work" as Russian operatives "conspired to intimidate, threaten, or murder people on US soil and around the world." Darren Cox, who leads the FBI’s Washington, D.C., office, credited "extraordinary work by multiple FBI field offices, components, and partner agencies" for thwarting attempts to carry out violent acts in the capital and elsewhere in the United States.
According to the filing, the network has been active since at least 2024, previously targeting Russian dissidents and defectors before shifting focus to nations perceived as allies of Ukraine. The indictment details a summer-time effort to recruit a U.S. resident to surveil a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the United States. The individual was instructed to photograph and video locations linked to the target and was offered $1,000 and $1,500 for the surveillance work, followed by a $40,000 payment to carry out the killing. After providing the surveillance material, the resident declined the murder offer, prompting the recruiters to seek other candidates with similar financial incentives.