U.S. Accuses Russia of Plotting Killings of Ukrainian Allies Overseas

By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 16, 2026
Washington, D.C. / International

Executive Summary

U.S. federal authorities have accused a network linked to Russian intelligence services of organizing a campaign of targeted killings and attacks against people regarded by Moscow as opponents, including individuals in the United States and people in European countries supporting Ukraine.

The allegations were made public on 15 September 2026, when the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against five people it says were working with Russian intelligence services. Prosecutors allege that the network recruited people to conduct surveillance and carry out killings, while also planning attacks against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries aligned with Ukraine.

The allegations remain allegations: the five defendants are at large, and the Justice Department itself notes that an indictment is not proof of guilt and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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What the United States alleges

According to the unsealed indictment, the alleged Russian Intelligence Services network has operated since at least 2024. U.S. prosecutors say its activities initially focused on Russian dissidents and defectors but increasingly included individuals and countries perceived as supportive of Ukraine.

The case centers on five defendants:

• Yuri Khrameev, 63, described by prosecutors as a former Russian intelligence colonel.
• Kirill Khrameev, 27, described as an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB.
• Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, a Cuban national living in Russia.
• Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, a Cuban national whom prosecutors describe as a recruiter.
• Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, a Venezuelan national.

All five face a charge of conspiracy to finance terrorism. Three—Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro—also face conspiracy-to-commit-murder-for-hire charges.

Department of Justice in Washington DC USA

An alleged assassination plot in Washington

One of the most significant allegations concerns a Russian dissident whom the network believed was living in the United States.

Prosecutors allege that a U.S.-based individual was recruited during the summer of 2026 to conduct surveillance of the intended victim. According to the indictment, the individual received locations connected with the target and was offered between $1,000 and $1,500 for surveillance work.

After photographs and videos were provided to the alleged recruiters, prosecutors say the individual was offered $40,000 to kill the dissident. The person refused to carry out the killing, after which the alleged recruiters sought other people who might undertake the operation.

The FBI said its Washington and New York offices, together with other agencies, disrupted the alleged operation before the planned killing occurred.

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A second alleged target in Lithuania

The indictment describes an earlier operation involving a person in Lithuania.

U.S. prosecutors allege that in 2025, Kirill Khrameev recruited an American to travel to the Lithuanian target’s purported address and take photographs. After the surveillance was completed, Yuri Khrameev allegedly offered the individual approximately $25,000 to kill the target.

The recruit declined. Prosecutors say the alleged recruiter subsequently proposed other forms of sabotage, including attacks against property and infrastructure.

This allegation is significant because it illustrates the broader pattern described by U.S. prosecutors: the alleged network was not limited to Russian dissidents but also sought to target people and infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine.

European dimension

The U.S. indictment also alleges that members of the network helped organize operations in Europe.

Prosecutors say Durruthy coordinated travel and logistics connected to alleged attacks in Prague in 2024 and Lithuania later that year. The Justice Department characterizes these activities as part of a wider effort involving attacks against civilian and military infrastructure in countries aligned with or perceived to be aligned with Ukraine.

The allegations come amid broader Western concerns about Russian intelligence activity in Europe.

An Associated Press investigation published in May reported that Western intelligence officials had linked a series of suspected assassination and sabotage operations to Russian security services. Those cases included alleged plots involving Ukrainian supporters, Russian activists and people connected to Ukraine’s war effort.

Why the case matters

The allegations extend beyond the traditional battlefield in Ukraine.

If the U.S. allegations are substantiated in court, they would indicate an effort to use recruited intermediaries—including people with no obvious connection to Russian intelligence—to conduct surveillance, killings and acts of sabotage abroad.

That approach can provide intelligence services with distance from the people carrying out an operation, while making investigations more difficult. The U.S. indictment alleges that recruiters offered money to individuals in the United States and Europe rather than personally carrying out every operation.

The case therefore illustrates a broader security problem facing countries supporting Ukraine: the conflict’s effects can extend beyond conventional military operations in Ukrainian territory.

Russia’s response

The allegations have been disputed by Russia.

Reuters reported on 16 September that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations pending what he described as credible evidence. Russia has previously denied involvement in killings and attempted killings of opponents abroad.

That means the central allegation—that the defendants were acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services—remains a matter to be established through evidence and legal proceedings rather than simply accepted on the basis of the charges.

What is established and what remains alleged

Broader context

The allegations are part of an increasingly international security environment surrounding Russia’s war against Ukraine. Western officials have previously accused Russian intelligence-linked networks of conducting sabotage, arson, surveillance and assassination operations across Europe.

In May 2026, the Associated Press reported that intelligence officials from several Western countries believed Russia had increased efforts to target opponents and supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The report also documented alleged plots in France, Lithuania, Germany and Poland.

The latest U.S. case is notable because alleged operations reached into U.S. territory itself, according to the indictment.

Conclusion

The U.S. Justice Department’s case presents an allegation of a Russian intelligence-linked network that sought to recruit people overseas to conduct surveillance, assassinations and attacks against individuals and infrastructure associated with countries supporting Ukraine.

The most immediate alleged operation involved surveillance of a Russian dissident in the United States and an offer of $40,000 for the person’s killing. Prosecutors say that operation was disrupted before the assassination occurred.

The allegations are serious but remain subject to judicial scrutiny. The five defendants have not been convicted, and Russia disputes the U.S. account. The forthcoming legal proceedings and any additional evidence will be important in determining which elements of the U.S. government’s allegations can ultimately be established.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice indictment announcement; Associated Press reporting; Reuters reporting.

Image sources shown above include Wikimedia Commons and Getty Images search results; the FBI headquarters image is identified as CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons.