In a rare accusation of a Kremlin-orchestrated plot on U.S. soil, a New York federal grand jury indicted a network of five people, among them two Cubans and one Venezuelan, of recruiting American citizens to carry out surveillance and assassinations of Russian dissidents.
The ring of five also targeted military and civilian infrastructure in countries that supported Ukraine or were in favor of NATO, the indictment alleges.
All five — Russian intelligence operatives Yuri Khrameev and his son Kirill Khrameev; Cubans Oemis Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez; and Venezuelan Angel Edgardo Castro — are based in Russia and are at-large.
“The defendants, working for the intelligence services of Russia, conspired to cause destruction and mayhem around the world, including right here in the United States,” U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.
The indictment alleges that the network had been operating since at least 2024.
More recently, in July this year, Castro and his direct handler Suarez allegedly recruited a Brooklyn resident to conduct pre-operational surveillance on a Russian dissident living in Washington, D.C.
The recruit allegedly took photos and videos of several locations and was likely paid around $1,500. But he balked at the idea of an assassination despite being offered $40,000 to carry it out.
The indictment refers to the target as “Victim-1” but does not state whether the person was killed. It alleges that Suarez attempted to recruit multiple other individuals within the United States to conduct pre-operational surveillance and murder other potential targets.
The indictment also ties the network to an assassination attempt in Lithuania, a Baltic country in Eastern Europe, and sabotage activities in other countries in the region.
“I am interested in all the countries that are helping Ukraine … [T]hrow a bottle of gasoline at an electrical substation. Set fire to a warehouse of property or food,” Yuri Khrameev allegedly said to a potential recruit. “You need to approach it creatively … I’m offering serious money for serious work.”
Oemis Durruthy, the Cuban national who prosecutors allege is influential among the Cuban diaspora in Moscow, is charged with coordinating travel and payments for the terrorist acts. She coordinated the logistics of potential targets in Poland and Lithuania.
The indictment charges the five with conspiracy to finance terrorism and a murder-for-hire plot.
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