US Charges Russian Network in Alleged European Sabotage, US Murder Plot

The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed a federal indictment accusing a Russian intelligence network of orchestrating a series of targeted attacks across Europe and the United States, including an attempted arson in Prague in June 2024. The indictment names five individuals, including former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameev and his son, Kirill Khrameev, an active FSB officer, as key figures in the alleged plot. The network, referred to as the "RIS Network," is alleged to have conducted surveillance for potential assassinations and planned terrorist acts against infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine. All five defendants remain at large and face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to finance terrorism. The Prague attack, which targeted a public transport bus depot, was reportedly coordinated by Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, a Cuban national living in Russia. According to the indictment, Durruthy arranged for a Colombian national, Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz, to attempt the arson. Durruthy facilitated the operation by transferring over $1,000 in cryptocurrency and booking accommodations in Poland and the Czech Republic. De la Hoz de la Cruz, later identified as "Associate-1," pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in prison in June 2025 for the attack. The network's activities extended beyond Prague, with Durruthy continuing to coordinate a separate attack in Lithuania in September 2024. Other members of the network allegedly plotted assassinations. Yaidel Delgado Suarez, a U.S.-focused recruiter, and Angel Eduardo Castro, both named in the indictment, reportedly recruited a U.S.-based individual, "U.S. Resident-1," to surveil a prominent Russian dissident, "Victim-1." After paying the recruit for photographs and videos, the handlers offered $40,000 to eliminate Victim-1 and claimed they had backup hitmen in Mexico. A year earlier, the Khrameevs allegedly attempted a similar assassination in Lithuania, where Kirill Khrameev paid a U.S. citizen, "U.S. Citizen-1," $200 to photograph the address of a Russian critic, "Victim-2." Khrameev then offered U.S. Citizen-1 $25,000 to murder Victim-2 using a bottle of gasoline or a knife, citing interest in countries aiding Ukraine. Czech authorities have not commented directly on the U.S. investigation, with Colonel Ondřej Moravčík of the Czech Police Presidium stating that police are not handling cases related to the U.S. charges and have not taken new measures. Ivana Nguyenová, spokesperson for the Czech Interior Ministry, noted that security services continue monitoring unusual activity but did not confirm involvement in the U.S. probe. Separate reports indicate that the Russian spy network had a team of hitmen operating in Mexico, though they were unavailable during a critical phase of the Washington, D.C., plot. The network, which includes three Russians, one Cuban, and one Venezuelan, reportedly pressured its members to carry out the assassination but faced delays due to the Mexican team being occupied elsewhere. The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted the group in the Southern District of New York, listing them as fugitives believed to be in Russia. The identities of some participants, such as the U.S. resident involved in surveillance, remain undisclosed.