US Indicts 5 Alleged Russian Operatives Over $40,000 Washington Murder Plot
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 20
US Indicts 5 Alleged Russian Operatives Over $40,000 Washington Murder Plot
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 20
Summary
Five men were charged in absentia after the Justice Department unsealed an indictment alleging a Russian intelligence-linked network plotted attacks worldwide, including recruiting people in the US to kill a prominent dissident in Washington.
A $40,000 offer in encrypted Spanish-language messages allegedly sought surveillance and murder of a target the Russian state wanted to "disappear," with the network discussing assassins from Mexico before seeking a local killer.
The defendants include FSB officer Kirill Khrameev, 27, his former-colonel father Yuri Khrameev, 63, two Cuban nationals and a Venezuelan; all are reportedly abroad, limiting immediate arrests.
The case has rattled Russian dissidents in Washington because alleged Kremlin-directed murder planning on US soil would break a long-observed Cold War-era boundary that kept such operations largely off American territory.
US officials and analysts say publicly exposing the network may signal a tougher counterintelligence posture, likely bringing tighter protection for dissidents, closer work with European allies and possible further sanctions or expulsions.