People aligned with Ukraine in the United States and Europe are at increased risk, the Justice Department says, after it unsealed charges against five men it links to Russia’s intelligence services for an alleged global murder-for-hire campaign.
The Department of Justice announced the criminal case on Tuesday, accusing the five of participating in a conspiracy to finance terrorism, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "It is our job to stop America's adversaries from unleashing violence and terror on American soil." The indictment alleges the suspects sought to pay people in the US and overseas to target those "aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine."
Federal prosecutors describe three of the defendants as "high-ranking members of the RIS network." They are identified as Yuri Khrameev, 63, a former colonel in the Russian intelligence services; his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, an officer in the Federal Security Service of Russia; and Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, a Cuban national whom prosecutors say coordinated attacks for the RIS network. The remaining two defendants are Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, and Angel Eduardo Castro, 22.
The DoJ says Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional counts for "participating in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire," a charge carrying up to 10 years in prison if convicted. FBI official James Barnacle said the group "conspired to intimidate, threaten, or murder people on US soil and around the world." The agency stated one of the alleged plots dates as recently as this summer.
Prosecutors describe recruitment attempts inside the United States. Suarez is accused of sending a recruit to two locations linked to a Russian dissident with "explicit instructions on how to conduct surveillance" and offering the recruit between $1,000 (£743) and $1,500, with an additional $40,000 promised if the resident could "eliminate" the target. The DoJ said the recruit did not carry out the attack, prompting further recruitment attempts and offers of "substantial sums of money" to target US-based victims.
Separately, the complaint alleges that in 2025 Kirill Khrameev recruited a US citizen to surveil and murder someone in Lithuania who was "telling lies about Russia." Yuri Khrameev is said to have offered $25,000 to kill the Lithuania-based individual for "spreading dirt about my country" and "distorting history."
All five defendants remain at large, and it is unclear whether any are inside the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow would not comment until it hears or sees "any credible evidence" or "tangible facts." The allegations arrive alongside other recent claims and countermeasures: Polish authorities said last month they detained a person accused of plotting a killing for the Kremlin, and US intelligence reportedly warned German officials in 2024 about a plot against an executive at Rheinmetall.
The DoJ release also arrives as Washington and Moscow engage at unusual official levels, including a recent visit to Moscow by the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency. The Kremlin confirmed talks between John Ratcliffe and Russian intelligence services, and President Trump called the meeting "semi-routine." The Justice Department has filed criminal charges; authorities say the case will proceed if and when suspects are located.
