--- title: "US Charges Five Members of Russian Intelligence Network That Was Preparing Assassinations in Europe and America" description: "The U.S. DOJ charged five members of a Russian intelligence network that recruited perpetrators of terrorist attacks in Europe and was preparing the assassination of a dissident in the United States." date: 2026-09-16T07:10:02.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/us-charges-five-members-russian-intelligence-network-assassinations tags: [us-doj, fsb, russian-intelligence, assassination-plot, poland-abw] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # US Charges Five Members of Russian Intelligence Network That Was Preparing Assassinations in Europe and America ![Five camouflaged soldiers with rifles march in formation — illustration for the story on a Russian intelligence network indicted by the US for plotting assassinations](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/ssha-obyavili-obyvineniya-protiv-seti-spetssluzhb-rf/ssha-obyavili-obyvineniya-protiv-seti-spetssluzhb-rf-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The U.S. DOJ charged five members of a Russian intelligence network with recruiting perpetrators of terrorist attacks in Europe and preparing the assassination of a dissident in the U.S. - Investigators identify the network's leaders as 63-year-old Yuri Khramaev, a former colonel, and his 27-year-old son, FSB officer Kirill Khramaev. - Meanwhile, Poland's ABW detained in Warsaw a Ukrainian who, on the orders of Russian security services, was preparing the car bombing of a representative of Ukraine's defense sector in Irpin. The U.S. Department of Justice has officially charged five members of an intelligence network that investigators link to Russian security services. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a U.S. DOJ press release and ABC News, the structure recruited perpetrators of terrorist attacks on European territory and was preparing the assassination of a Russian dissident on U.S. soil. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who presented the case as the exposure of a “global network of contract killers” operating on the Kremlin's orders. ### Key Figures: The Khramaev Father and Son Investigators identify two relatives as the leaders of the intelligence network. The first is 63-year-old Yuri Khramaev, a former colonel in Russian security services. The second is his 27-year-old son, Kirill Khramaev, a serving FSB officer. According to investigators, it was this pair who coordinated recruitment and operational planning, turning the family link into the core of an international criminal infrastructure. ### Recruitment Methods and Global Reach U.S. Deputy Attorney General John Eisenberg stated: “These defendants, according to investigators, acted as part of a global network of contract killers that reached the borders of the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreigners to commit murders on the Kremlin's orders.” Thus, this is not a matter of isolated operations but of a systematic network capable of recruiting perpetrators both within the United States and abroad. The context is further supplemented by data from YouControl analysts: Russia, according to their observations, is increasingly obtaining sensitive information about the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex not through state registries but through agents and informants, a significant portion of whom are recruited via Telegram under the pretext of “easy money.” ### Parallel Operations in Europe Against the backdrop of the American charges, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained in Warsaw a Ukrainian citizen who, according to investigators, was preparing, on the orders of Russian security services, the car bombing of a representative of the Ukrainian defense sector in Irpin. The man, who fled to Poland after a failed assassination attempt, now faces a life sentence. The totality of these events indicates that the network exposed in the U.S. and the European sabotage operations may relate to a single logic of Russian security services' operations against opponents abroad. ### Significance of the Exposure The case against the five defendants becomes one of the most prominent charges brought by the U.S. prosecution against the infrastructure of Russian security services operating on U.S. territory. The key emphasis is placed on the recruitment of U.S. citizens and foreigners, which underscores a shift from classic intelligence work to a model of “networked contract killers.” The further development of the case will depend on whether investigators can secure direct evidence linking each defendant to specific episodes and confirm the role of the Khramaevs as the network's leaders. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [US Exposes Russian Intelligence Network That Was Preparing Assassinations in America and Europe](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ssha-vikrili-merezhu-spetssluzhb-rf-ka-gotuvala-1789542467.html) - Основной источник: прессрелиз Минюста США, имена Храмеевых, цитата Айзенберга, контекст YouControl и польского ABW. - [U.S. DOJ Charges Five Members of Russian Intelligence Network with Preparing Contract Killings](https://polites.news/5824.html) - Подтверждает число обвиняемых (пятеро) и квалификацию дела как подготовка заказных убийств. - [Russian Security Services Were Preparing Assassinations of Russian Opposition Figures and Sabotage Acts, DOJ Says ...](https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/cwn74jelrylvo) - Независимое подтверждение позиции Минюста США о подготовке убийств оппозиционеров и диверсий. - [US Unveils Network Tied to Russian Security Services That Was Preparing Assassinations and Sabotage in ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F/20260916-%D1%81%D1%88%D0%B0-%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D1%81%D0%B2%D1%8F%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%83%D1%8E-%D1%81-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8-%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%86%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8-%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D0%B8-%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B2-%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D0%B8-%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8E%D1%81%D0%B5) - Подтверждает разоблачение сети и связь с российскими спецслужбами; датировано 16.09.2026. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many people were charged in the U.S., and who are they? **A:** The U.S. DOJ charged five members of an intelligence network. Investigators identify the leaders as 63-year-old Yuri Khramaev, a former colonel in Russian security services, and his 27-year-old son, FSB officer Kirill Khramaev. ### Q: What was this network trying to achieve, according to investigators? **A:** According to U.S. Deputy Attorney General John Eisenberg, the network recruited U.S. citizens and foreigners to commit murders on the Kremlin's orders, preparing terrorist attacks in Europe and the assassination of a Russian dissident in the United States. ### Q: Are there related events in Europe? **A:** Yes. Poland's ABW detained in Warsaw a Ukrainian citizen who, on the orders of Russian security services, was preparing the car bombing of a representative of Ukraine's defense sector in Irpin; he faces a life sentence.