The US Department of Justice has announced charges against five members of a network which, according to US investigators, was working for the Russian secret services and was planning murders and acts of sabotage in the US and Europe. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The targets included Russian opposition figures, as well as civilian and military infrastructure in countries that support Ukraine. One of the accused is a serving FSB officer, Kirill Khramyev; his father, Yuri Khramyev, is described as a former colonel in the Russian security services; and the other three are members of the network they established. All five remain at liberty.
- The US has brought charges against five members of a Russian network.
- They are accused of plotting murders and acts of sabotage.
- The operations were planned in the US and in European countries.
- A reward of $40 thousand was offered for the killing of one of the targets.
- All five are currently at liberty.
Plans were being made in the US to assassinate a Russian opposition figure
According to information from the US Department of Justice, in the summer of 2026, members of the network recruited a person in the US to spy on a well-known Russian dissident whom they believed to be in the Washington area.
Recruiters provided addresses and instructions on how to carry out surveillance, and paid for photographs and videos. After that, the person carrying out the work was allegedly offered $40,000 to make the target «disappear». When he refused to carry out the murder himself, he was asked to find someone else.
In another episode Yuriy Khrameyev, according to the investigation, offered a US citizen approximately $25,000 for murder in Lithuania. After he refused, he suggested a «simpler job» — setting fire to a warehouse or attacking an electrical substation. Documents from the Ministry of Justice state that the targets were to be countries assisting Ukraine.
The network is linked to acts of sabotage in Europe
US prosecutors also claim that the network was recruiting people to carry out attacks on civilian and military targets in European countries that support Ukraine.
One of the individuals involved is a Cuban Oemis Romagosa Durruti — allegedly organised the logistics for the operation in Prague, June 2024, and in September of that year he assisted the participants in another operation in Lithuania.
Lithuania’s LRT previously reported that Durruti is linked to a network that operated on behalf of Russian military intelligence and organised arson attacks and other acts of sabotage in European countries.
All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to finance terrorism. Yuriy Khrameyev, Yidel Delgado Suárez and Ángel Eduardo Castro are additionally charged with conspiracy to commit contract killing. However, the indictment represents the prosecution’s case, and guilt must be established by the court.
A Russian drone has been found in Poland
At the same time, several other security incidents have occurred in Europe over the last few days.
14 September: the Polish military A drone was recovered from the Baltic Sea near Rusinovo, not far from Yaroslavets. Poland’s Defence Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated that a preliminary examination suggests it was a Russian military drone. It was likely a «Gerbera» — a drone that can be used as a decoy but is also capable of carrying explosives.
This incident occurred against the backdrop of a series of incursions by Russian or presumably Russian drones into the airspace of countries on NATO’s eastern flank.
A drone crashed near a military airfield in Germany
In Germany, the police is conducting an investigation following the discovery of drone wreckage near a military airfield Wunstorf, where the Bundeswehr’s A400M transport aircraft are based.
A large number of law enforcement officers were working in the area, searching for other parts of the aircraft. The wreckage was sent for forensic analysis.
However, as at 16 September Neither the owner of the drone nor its origin have been established, whilst German law enforcement authorities have not stated that there is a confirmed link between this incident and Russia. Various theories are being considered — ranging from a reconnaissance flight to an accident involving a private UAV.
At the same time, Germany had already officially accused Russia of another incident — an attempted drone attack using explosive devices at Leipzig Airport in August.
Saboteurs have brought the railway system in the Netherlands to a standstill
Another high-profile incident took place on 15 September in the Netherlands. In more than 20 places Metal pipes were found to have been deliberately attached to the railway tracks. As a result, the safety systems detected the tracks as being occupied, leading to trains being halted and level crossings being closed.
The operator ProRail has officially classified the incident as sabotage. The police, the public prosecutor’s office and the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, have joined the investigation.
At the same time There is currently no public evidence of Russia’s involvement in this act of sabotage. The events took place against a backdrop of farmers’ protests against the government’s budgetary and environmental policies; the Farmers Defence Force denied organising any acts of sabotage, although it did not rule out the possibility of individual protesters taking such action.
Russia rejects the US allegations
The Kremlin has not acknowledged Washington’s claims. A spokesperson for the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow sees no reason to comment on allegations made without evidence, and that Russia traditionally denies organising murders and acts of sabotage abroad.
American law enforcement agencies, for their part, state that the investigation has revealed the existence of an international network which recruited operatives, carried out surveillance and planned attacks far beyond Russia’s borders. The FBI is continuing to investigate the case.
