Federal prosecutors say five men sought recruits inside the United States to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident.
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. authorities have charged five men accused of working with Russian intelligence services in a network that sought to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington area, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court in New York.
The case describes what prosecutors say was a broader Russian-backed operation to recruit people in the United States and abroad for surveillance, targeted killings and attacks. The Justice Department said the network has operated since at least 2024 and has focused on Russian dissidents, defectors and countries viewed by Moscow as supporting Ukraine. The five defendants remain at large, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
The defendants are Yuri Khrameev, 63, a Russian national described by prosecutors as a former colonel in Russian intelligence; his son, Kirill Khrameev, 27, whom prosecutors identified as an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service; Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, a Cuban national living in Russia; Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, a Cuban national; and Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, a Venezuelan national. All five are charged with conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face a charge of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
According to the indictment, the Washington-area plot developed during the summer of 2026. Prosecutors say Castro contacted a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn on July 29 and asked whether he had someone he trusted in Washington. Castro later forwarded messages from Suarez seeking photographs and video of locations associated with the dissident. The person was promised between $1,000 and $1,500 for the surveillance, prosecutors allege.
The U.S. resident carried out surveillance and provided photographs and videos of locations associated with the intended target, according to the indictment. Prosecutors say Suarez and Castro then offered the resident $40,000 to kill the dissident. The resident refused to carry out the killing, according to court papers. Authorities said Suarez subsequently tried to recruit other people in the United States for surveillance and potential killings.
The intended victim has not been publicly identified. The indictment describes the person only as a prominent Russian dissident whom the alleged network believed was living in the Washington, D.C., area. Federal officials have also not publicly detailed how investigators discovered the operation or precisely how they disrupted the alleged murder plot.
Prosecutors say the Washington case was not an isolated effort. The indictment alleges that members of the same network previously recruited a U.S. citizen to surveil another person in Lithuania who was portrayed by the recruiters as a critic of Russia. After the surveillance was completed, prosecutors say Yuri Khrameev offered about $25,000 for that person’s killing. The recruit declined, according to the indictment. Prosecutors also accuse members of the network of involvement in operations targeting civilian and military infrastructure in European countries aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine.
The Justice Department identifies the alleged organization as the Russian Intelligence Services Network and describes it as part of a Russian apparatus used for operations outside the country. Federal authorities say Kirill Khrameev is an officer of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, while his father previously served as a colonel in Russian intelligence. The indictment also alleges that Durruthy coordinated travel and logistics connected with operations in Europe.
FBI officials said investigators from the bureau’s New York and Washington field offices worked with other federal agencies to disrupt the alleged operation. The indictment was filed in the Southern District of New York. A conspiracy to finance terrorism conviction can carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while conspiracy to commit murder for hire carries a maximum of 10 years. Any sentence would be determined by a judge if a defendant were convicted.
The Kremlin has rejected the basis for the accusations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not consider it necessary to comment without what he described as coherent and tangible evidence. The Justice Department, meanwhile, emphasized that an indictment contains allegations only and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The five defendants were still believed to be outside the United States and remained at large following the unsealing of the charges. The investigation and prosecution are continuing, while the identity of the dissident targeted in the Washington-area plot has not been released.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.