US charges five as alleged Kremlin assassination network reaches American soil
Prosecutors say the network expanded from targeting Russian dissidents and defectors to arranging attacks against European countries supporting Ukraine.
The US Justice Department has indicted five individuals as alleged members of a Russian assassination network operating out of the United States, according to a report on September 15. The group, dubbed the "RIS Network," allegedly targeted dissidents, defectors, and countries supporting Ukraine.
Yuri Khrameev, a 63-year-old Russian national and former intelligence officer, is accused of recruiting others to kill Russian dissidents. His son, Kirill Khrameev, a 27-year-old FSB officer, is charged in connection with the same alleged activities. The indictment also names Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, as well as Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro.
Prosecutors claim that Durruthy and Castro recruited US residents for surveillance and murder operations. When one recruit refused to participate in a planned killing, Durruthy and Castro allegedly offered $40,000 for the "elimination" of the target. Russian dissidents were allegedly targeted in Lithuania and Prague, Czechia, in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to finance terrorism, with additional murder-for-hire conspiracy charges for Khrameev, Durruthy, and Castro, carrying up to 10 years in prison. The Kremlin has declined to comment on the allegations, citing a lack of credible evidence. The defendants remain at large.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
