US charges 5 people over Russia-backed plots

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged five men with working for Russianintelligence to carry out surveillance and plan targeted killings in the United States and Europe.

"The men were recruited to carry out attacks and assassinations around the world, including the United States," the DOJ said in the indictment.

Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son, Kirill Khrameev, 27, both Russian nationals; Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35; and Angel Eduardo Castro of Venezuela, 22, were charged with an alleged conspiracy to commit financial terrorism.

Khrameev, Suarez, and Castro were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

All the individuals are still at large.

The DOJ announced the unsealing of charges against the five individuals one day after DW published an investigation looking into one of the members of the murder plot. 

The DW investigation identified Romagoza Durruthy as a salsa teacher in Russia who recruited a number of people in 2024 to carry out sabotage across Europe. The agents were mostly from Spanish-speaking countries and had been sent across Europe to commit arson attacks on businesses and military equipment destined for Ukraine. The investigation found that Romagoza Durruthy had been the person who directed them and organized their travels.

How a Cuban dance teacher aided Russian sabotage in EU

What else did the DOJ say?

Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters that the plans included attempts to assassinate a Russian dissident in Washington, DC.

According to the DOJ, several people were recruited in the US alone to surveil Russian dissidents, in addition to monitoring civilian and military infrastructure in European countries such as Lithuania.

The Justice Department also reported that one recruit was allegedly offered "$40,000 to 'eliminate' or 'disappear' a US resident."

Last year, another recruit was allegedly offered $25,000 to kill a person living in Lithuania. Russia has previously denied carrying out such plots on foreign soil, including in the United States.

The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.