Russia’s intelligence services have launched a network to plot targeted killings and acts of terrorism against European nations supporting Ukraine in the United States and Europe, according to federal authorities who unsealed an indictment in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday. The charges name five individuals who remain at large.
Indictment Details and Targets
According to federal prosecutors, a network operated by Russian intelligence services has paid and attempted to pay operatives in the U.S. and abroad to surveil and murder specific targets. The indictment states that the recruited associates were also solicited to carry out acts of terrorism targeting civilian and military infrastructure in European nations aligned with Ukraine. James Barnacle Jr., head of the FBI’s New York office, stated that the agency disrupted these operations through relentless investigative work, adding that Russian intelligence affiliates conspired to intimidate, threaten, and murder people on U.S. soil and globally.
Historically, this external operations network focused primarily on Russian dissidents and defectors, according to the federal release. More recently, however, the apparatus shifted its focus toward nations perceived as allies of Ukraine in its ongoing conflict following the 2022 invasion.
Recruitment Attempts on U.S. Soil
Federal authorities detailed how the network attempted to operationalize inside the United States during the summer. According to court documents, an operative recruited a U.S. resident—identified in the indictment only as “US Resident-1″—to surveil and murder a prominent Russian dissident living in the United States.
The U.S. resident received explicit instructions on conducting surveillance at two locations associated with the target, alongside promises of $1,000 and $1,500 for the reconnaissance work. After providing photographs and videos of the locations to one of the indicted men, the U.S. resident ultimately rejected a $40,000 offer to eliminate the target.
Following this refusal, the Russian intelligence operative attempted to recruit multiple other individuals within the United States, offering substantial financial sums to carry out the murder, court records show.
Law Enforcement Response
Darren Cox, head of the FBI’s Washington, D.C., field office, credited multiple FBI field offices, operational components, and partner agencies with collaborating to neutralize the threat. Cox noted that once authorities identified the plot, agents moved quickly to disrupt the operations and hold the Russian government accountable.
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