US exposes Russian network recruiting people to kill Ukraine supporters
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
The US Department of Justice said it had uncovered a Russian network that, according to US investigators, recruited people to carry out attacks and killings in the United States and Europe, BBC reports.
The US Department of Justice has charged five men linked to Russian intelligence services and the RIS network. According to US authorities, they paid or attempted to pay people in the United States and other countries to attack individuals who support Ukraine or are perceived as supporters of Ukraine.
"It is our job to stop America's adversaries from unleashing violence and terror on American soil," US Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
All five defendants have been charged with conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism. They could face up to 20 years in prison on this charge.
All of the defendants remain at large. It is currently unknown where exactly they are located — in the United States or abroad.
Who is involved in the case
According to the US Department of Justice, three of the five defendants are senior members of the RIS network.
They include 63-year-old Yuri Khrameev and his 27-year-old son Kirill Khrameev. According to US authorities, the elder Khrameev was a colonel in the Russian intelligence services. His son, according to US officials, served as an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service.
The third defendant is 35-year-old Cuban national Oemis Romagoza Durruthy. The US describes him as an influential member of the Cuban diaspora who lives in Russia and coordinated attacks for the RIS network.
The other two defendants are 35-year-old Yaidel Delgado Suarez and 22-year-old Angel Eduardo Castro.
US authorities accuse them of recruiting or attempting to recruit people in the United States. According to investigators, one of the objectives was to surveil a Russian dissident living in the United States and later assassinate him.
FBI representative James Barnacle said the network’s members conspired to intimidate, threaten, or kill people in the United States and other countries.
$40,000 for a killing
One of the cases described by the US Department of Justice took place this summer.
According to investigators, Suarez recruited a person in the United States to surveil a Russian dissident. The operative was allegedly sent to two locations associated with the potential victim and given instructions on how to conduct surveillance.
He was offered between $1,000 and $1,500 for this.
Later, Suarez and Castro allegedly offered $40,000 for the recruited individual to "eliminate" the dissident.
However, this did not happen. According to the US Department of Justice, after the failed attempt, Suarez began looking for other people in the United States whom he offered money to attack designated targets.
Another attempt — in Lithuania
The US side also reported another incident that allegedly took place in 2025.
According to investigators, Kirill Khrameev recruited a US citizen to surveil and kill a person in Lithuania. According to the case materials, the potential victim had been spreading information about Russia that Moscow considered false.
The US Department of Justice cites Khrameev as saying that he intended to target "all the countries that are helping Ukraine."
According to US investigators, his father offered the recruited individual $25,000 to kill this person in Lithuania.
The elder Khrameev, Suarez, and Castro were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire. The maximum penalty for this charge is up to 10 years in prison.
Western experts warn that Russia could step up sabotage and assassination attempts in NATO countries. Germany has already recorded attacks targeting energy infrastructure, airports, defense companies, and government IT systems.
The UK has separately warned of the risk of new assassination attempts involving chemical substances.
In addition, in August 2026, a German court sentenced a Ukrainian man to one year and three months in prison for preparing sabotage operations on behalf of Russia.
