DOJ accuses Russian intel agents of plotting to murder U.S.-based dissident

The Justice Department has accused members of Russia’s intelligence services of operating a “global assassination network” targeting Kremlin critics, including an alleged murder plot in the U.S. Federal prosecutors in New York have indicted five individuals linked to the “RIS Network,” including Yuri Khrameev, a former Russian intelligence colonel, his son Kirill, and three others from Cuba and Venezuela. These individuals are believed to be in Russia and remain at large. The indictment reveals a murder-for-hire plot over the summer, where operatives recruited a Brooklyn resident to surveil a Russian dissident in Washington, D.C., offering him money to “eliminate” the target. The Brooklyn resident refused to kill but agreed to take photos. The indictment also details an attempt by Yuri Khrameev and his son to recruit a U.S. citizen in Lithuania to kill someone spreading negative information about Russia. When the U.S. citizen declined, Yuri Khrameev suggested alternative acts of sabotage. This case highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. adversaries to target dissidents abroad, including within the U.S. and allied nations. QUESTION: How might international relations be affected if countries continue to engage in covert operations against dissidents on foreign soil?