US charges five over alleged Russian intelligence murder plots

September 16, 2026 at 11:57 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The US Department of Justice charged five people over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings. Prosecutors said the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders internationally, including within the US. All five defendants remain at large.

Key Facts

Five people were charged in a US indictment unsealed on Tuesday over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots.
The defendants are Russian nationals Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son Kirill Khrameev, 27; Cubans Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35; and Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro, 22.
All five were charged with conspiring to finance terrorism, while Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the plots included attempts to kill a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC area.
A recruit was reportedly promised $40,000 to make a US-based target “disappear,” and another was allegedly offered $25,000 the previous year to kill someone in Lithuania.

The Indictment

The US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Tuesday charging five people over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings. Prosecutors said the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders internationally, including within the US. All five defendants remain at large, according to the Justice Department.

Defendants and Charges

The defendants were identified as Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, Cubans Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35, and 22-year-old Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro. All five were charged with conspiring to finance terrorism. Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire.

Alleged Plots

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the plots included attempts to kill a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC area. Justice Department officials said the network had recruited several people in the US to carry out surveillance on Russian dissidents, targeting individuals both domestically and in Lithuania. In one instance, a recruit was reportedly promised $40,000 to make a US-based target “disappear.” A separate recruit was allegedly offered $25,000 the previous year to kill someone in Lithuania. Russia’s embassy in the US has not commented on the case.