US Indictment Exposes Russian Global Assassination Network
Last year, a former military officer in the Russian intelligence services named Yuri Khrameev offered $25,000 to a US citizen to track and kill someone in Lithuania’s capital who was “telling lies about Russia,” according to US prosecutors.
Prosecutors have revealed a global network of assassins allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence services, according to a new indictment unsealed by the US Department of Justice. The charges target five individuals working for Russia's intelligence services who allegedly plotted to carry out attacks and slayings in Europe and the US.
The alleged mastermind, Colonel Yuri, offered $25,000 to a US citizen to track and kill a Russian dissident in Lithuania, according to the indictment. The defendants, known for attempting to target NATO infrastructure, have not been apprehended and remain at large. Assistant US Attorney General John Eisenberg described the defendants' actions as a "gross violation of our sovereignty and a threat to our national security."
The indictment highlights Russia's expanding campaign of "hybrid attacks" against European nations supporting Ukraine, including attempts to recruit US citizens for killings. Russia has also allegedly targeted individuals in the US, such as a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn recruited to surveil and potentially kill a prominent Russian dissident in Washington.
The new charges come amid ongoing US-China relations and the potential impact on the administration's conciliatory approach toward Russia.
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