US prosecutors have charged five suspected Russian intelligence operatives over an alleged international campaign of sabotage and targeted killings, including a plot to murder a prominent Russian dissident living in the United States.
The indictment, unsealed in federal court in Manhattan, alleges that the defendants formed part of a network used by the Russian government to carry out attacks abroad. Prosecutors say the group also targeted civilian and military sites in European countries supporting Ukraine.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “It is our job to stop America’s adversaries from unleashing violence and terror on American soil. And that’s precisely what we are doing thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department prosecutors.”
Two of the accused are identified as Yuri Khrameev, a former colonel in Russian intelligence, and his son Kirill Khrameev, who prosecutors describe as a suspected officer in Russia’s FSB intelligence agency.
The other defendants are Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro. Prosecutors say all three live in Russia.
All five face charges of conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire. Officials say none of the defendants has been arrested and all remain at large.
Alleged plot against Russian dissident in New York
Prosecutors allege that, between July and August this year, Castro and Suarez recruited a Venezuelan living in Brooklyn to help target a prominent Russian dissident in the US. The alleged victim is not named in the court papers.
The Venezuelan, referred to as US Resident 1, was allegedly sent two addresses connected to the dissident and asked to photograph and film them. Suarez is accused of saying the person was someone they “want to eliminate they want to disappear”, while offering $40,000 for the job.
US Resident 1 allegedly agreed to conduct surveillance but refused to carry out a killing. Prosecutors say Suarez then asked whether he knew “someone who wants to do construction”, which they allege was code for carrying out the murder.
Suarez allegedly said he was under pressure from his boss and claimed he had a team in Mexico that could undertake the attack, although it was not immediately available.
Alleged recruitment of US citizen in Lithuania
The indictment also describes an alleged operation in Europe in 2025, involving an attempt to recruit a US citizen to surveil and kill a Kremlin critic believed to be living in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Prosecutors say the American met Kirill Khrameev near the Estonia-Russia border in June last year. Khrameev allegedly offered payment for photographs of an address in Vilnius and later instructed the American to send images of the property every two or three days.
Yuri Khrameev allegedly told the American that the target was being pursued for “spreading dirt” about Russia and saying that Russians were the aggressors. The American was reportedly offered $25,000 to carry out the killing, including by throwing a bottle of petrol or using a knife, but declined because he feared being caught.
According to the indictment, Khrameev then suggested setting fire to a warehouse or electrical substation instead. He allegedly said he was interested in countries helping Ukraine and in military and dual-use facilities in NATO countries, adding: “I’m offering serious money for serious work.”
The court papers also allege that Durruthy helped arrange travel and payments for terrorist acts, including in Prague. Prosecutors say he transferred more than $1,000 in cryptocurrency to an associate, booked hotels in the Czech Republic and Poland, and was linked online to an image showing potential targets in Warsaw.
