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U.S. Charges Suspects in Alleged Russian Assassination Network Targeting Ukraine’s Allies
Confirmed
In Short: U.S. prosecutors have charged five individuals, including Russian and Latin American nationals, for alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance and planned killings of Ukrainian allies in the U.S. and Europe.
The charges come at a time when European capitals are facing Russian influence operations. The U.S. has announced visa restrictions targeting people it accuses of discriminating against South Africa's white minority, in the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries. Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it has orchestrated assassination operations on foreign soil, including in the U.S.
The network's activities are part of a broader financial network operated by the Houthis, an Iran-backed group in Yemen, which has expanded its reach beyond Yemen. The network, according to reports, has procured tens of millions of dollars in weapons and commodities from Russia and other sources, and has been identified as fluid and difficult to quantify. Russia has become a particularly significant part of the network, with the Houthis operating an international network that sells Iranian commodities and channels proceeds toward the group.
The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Russia of plotting to murder Ukrainian allies in the U.S. and Europe, with the network recruiting agents to conduct reconnaissance and assassinations within the U.S. and to attack civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are – or are perceived to be – allies of Ukraine. The charges unsealed on the 15th of September state that the group recently approached an individual living in the U.S., offering payment to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident residing there.
What's confirmed
- The charges come at a time when European capitals are facing Russian influence operations. The U.S. has announced visa restrictions targeting people it accuses of discriminating against South Africa's white minority, in the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries. Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it has orchestrated assassination operations on foreign soil, including in the U.S.
- The network's activities are part of a broader financial network operated by the Houthis, an Iran-backed group in Yemen, which has expanded its reach beyond Yemen. The network, according to reports, has procured tens of millions of dollars in weapons and commodities from Russia and other sources, and has been identified as fluid and difficult to quantify. Russia has become a particularly significant part of the network, with the Houthis operating an international network that sells Iranian commodities and channels proceeds toward the group.
- The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Russia of plotting to murder Ukrainian allies in the U.S. and Europe, with the network recruiting agents to conduct reconnaissance and assassinations within the U.S. and to attack civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are – or are perceived to be – allies of Ukraine. The charges unsealed on the 15th of September state that the group recently approached an individual living in the U.S., offering payment to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident residing there.
What's still developing
- Prosecutors said that the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders around the world.
- Five people have been charged over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings, according to an indictment unsealed by the United States Department of Justice.
- The defendants were identified as Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, Cubans Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35, and 22-year-old Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro.
- At a news conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said the plots included attempts to kill a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC area.
- Justice Department officials said the network had recruited several people in the US to carry out surveillance on Russian dissidents, targeting individuals both domestically and in Lithuania.
- All five were charged with conspiring to finance terrorism, while Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire.
- A separate recruit was allegedly offered $25,000 the previous year to kill someone in Lithuania.
- The Houthis’ rapid advance toward one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints is putting fresh scrutiny on the sprawling financial network that has helped transform the Iran-backed group from a Yemeni insurgency into a heavily armed regional power capable of threatening global trade.