Agents of Vladimir Putin allegedly plotted to murder a prominent Russian dissident living in Washington, D.C., this summer in a brazen scheme foiled by the FBI, the Justice Department alleges.
The Department of Justice announced today the unsealing of charges against five individuals working for the intelligence services of the Russian Federation to conduct attacks and murders around the world, including in the United States.
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According to the DOJ, the network is alleged to have, among other things, paid and attempted to pay individuals within the United States and elsewhere to conduct pre-operational surveillance and carry out targeted killings, and commissioned associates to commit and attempt to commit acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine. The defendants remain at large.
Spies working on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to recruit people in America for targeted killings. In this case, the spies found a Venezuelan in the US who agreed to take photos, but wouldn’t kill anyone. The goal is to kill dissidents supporting Ukraine.
“These defendants allegedly operated as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreigners to carry out killings at the behest of the Kremlin,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Actions like these represent a gross violation of our sovereignty and a threat to our national security. We will stamp out any foreign intelligence services’ attempt to operate freely in our great Nation, and we will not rest until they and their enablers suffer the most severe consequences that federal law can levy.”
#USnews: U.S. charges five people in alleged Russian-backed murder plots pic.twitter.com/DcovUqu22j
— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) September 16, 2026
“Russia’s intelligence services are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the United States and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday as they announced charges against five people who remain at large.
James Barnacle Jr, head of New York’s…
— Sergiy Kyslytsya 🇺🇦 (@SergiyKyslytsya) September 16, 2026