The Justice Department unsealed charges Tuesday against five people it says worked for a Russian intelligence services network — the “RIS Network” — in a conspiracy to finance terrorism, with three also accused of murder-for-hire conspiracy, according to a DOJ announcement and Reuters reporting Wednesday. All five defendants remain at large. The indictment is an allegation; the defendants are presumed innocent.
Named are Yuri Khrameev, 63, a/k/a “Colonel Yuri,” a former Russian intelligence colonel; his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, described as an FSB officer; Cuban national Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, living in Russia; Yaidel Delgado Suarez, 35, a/k/a “Viking,” of Cuba; and Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, of Venezuela. In summer 2026, prosecutors say the network recruited a U.S. resident to surveil a prominent Russian dissident believed to be in the United States — first offering $1,000–$1,500 for photos and videos, then $40,000 to “eliminate” or “disappear” the target. When the recruit refused to kill personally, Suarez and Castro allegedly asked if he knew someone who would.
Earlier, the complaint says, the network offered a U.S. citizen about $25,000 to kill someone in Lithuania accused of spreading lies about Russia — with Yuri allegedly suggesting a gasoline bottle or a knife — and later floated arson jobs against Ukraine-aligned countries. Prosecutors also allege Prague and Lithuania attack coordination dating to 2024. Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg are quoted in the DOJ release. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment without “credible evidence,” Reuters reported.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice; Reuters
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