The U.S. Justice Department has charged five people over an alleged Russian intelligence-linked network accused of carrying out surveillance, recruitment and plans for targeted killings in the United States and abroad.
The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, alleges the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to “conduct attacks and murders around the world, including in the United States”.
All five defendants remain at large, the department says.
Those charged are Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, and his son, Kirill Khrameev, 27, as well as Cuban nationals Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, and Venezuelan national Angel Eduardo Castro, 22.
The Justice Department said all five face charges related to an alleged conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the alleged operation included “efforts to murder a Russian dissident who investigators believed was located in the Washington, D.C., area”.
According to prosecutors, the network recruited people inside the U.S. to monitor Russian dissidents, including one person living in the United States and another based in Lithuania.
The U.S. and European Union say they are stepping up efforts to counter alleged Russian covert networks accused of carrying out sabotage, surveillance and assassination plots in Western countries.
Speaking at the European Parliament on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “Hybrid attacks cannot remain in a grey zone without consequences. We need to combine resilience with attribution, sanctions and action against hostile networks operating on our soil.”
The indictment alleges that one U.S.-based recruit was offered $40,000 to “'eliminate' or 'disappear'” a person living in the United States.
In a separate case, prosecutors said another U.S. recruit was offered $25,000 last year to kill a person living in Lithuania.
The allegations point to an operation that prosecutors say sought to use people already in the United States to identify and target opponents of the Russian government.
The case comes amid long-running tensions between Washington and Moscow over allegations of Russian intelligence activity overseas.
Russia has historically denied conducting assassination or sabotage plots on foreign soil, including within the United States.
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest charges.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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