Inside Russia’s foiled assassination plot in America, European countries supporting Ukraine

The FBI has warned that Russia is plotting targeted assassinations across the US and in European countries supporting Ukraine, revealing it thwarted a plot to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington DC, according to the Daily Mail.

Five people living abroad were charged in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, which said a Russian intelligence network had paid individuals since 2024 to surveil and kill Russian dissidents, and to carry out attacks on infrastructure in Ukraine-aligned European countries.

Among those charged were Yuri Khrameev, a former Russian intelligence colonel; his son Kirill Khrameev, a Federal Security Service officer; and Cuban national Oemis Romagoza Durruthy. Authorities said the network recruited a Venezuelan citizen in Brooklyn to surveil and kill the Washington-based dissident, offering $40,000 for the job — an offer he rejected.

Security expert Philip Ingram warned such attacks will likely increase, citing past incidents involving Novichok, Polonium-210, and drone sabotage across Europe.