US accuses Russian intelligence agents of plotting attacks : NPR

Key Points:

• The U.S. Justice Department has charged five suspected Russian intelligence operatives with plotting global attacks, including murder-for-hire of a prominent Russian dissident in the U.S., as part of a network conducting external attacks on behalf of Russia.
• The defendants include former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameev, his son Kirill Khrameev, and three men from Cuba and Venezuela living in Russia, all charged with conspiracy to finance terrorism; three face additional murder-for-hire conspiracy charges.
• The indictment details efforts since 2024 to recruit individuals in the U.S. and Europe for targeted killings and sabotage, including a Venezuelan resident in Brooklyn tasked with surveilling a dissident and a U.S. citizen in Lithuania approached to murder a Kremlin critic.
• Prosecutors allege the network targeted critics of Russia and military or dual-use facilities in NATO countries aiding Ukraine, offering significant payments for attacks such as arson and assassination.
• The case highlights ongoing concerns about Russian covert operations against dissidents and allies of Ukraine, with U.S. authorities emphasizing their commitment to preventing violence on American soil.