FBI says Russia plotted to kill Ukraine allies in US and Europe

US federal authorities on Tuesday announced charges against five people, all still at large, tied to a Russian intelligence services network accused of planning targeted killings in the United States and in European nations that support Ukraine. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court states the network paid, or attempted to pay, individuals in the US and other countries to surveil people who were then meant to be killed.

The indictment also says recruited associates were solicited to carry out acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries seen as aligned with Ukraine.

FBI describes disrupted plot

James Barnacle Jr, head of the FBI's New York office, said the bureau disrupted the plans through sustained investigative work, as members of Russian intelligence services and their affiliates conspired to intimidate, threaten or murder people both on US soil and abroad. Darren Cox, head of the FBI's Washington DC office, credited multiple FBI field offices and partner agencies for jointly disrupting Russia's attempts to carry out violent acts in the US capital and elsewhere in the country. He said that once the threat was identified, the Washington field office and its partners moved quickly to disrupt the plot and hold the Russian government accountable.

According to officials, a network tied to the Russian Federation's intelligence services has, since at least 2024, conspired to carry out and has carried out attacks and killings around the world, including inside the United States. The network is described as one branch of a broader Russian apparatus built to conduct attacks abroad, including assassinations. It previously focused on Russian dissidents and defectors but has recently shifted attention toward countries perceived as allies of Ukraine, including attempts to recruit multiple people within the United States.

A rejected assassination offer

The indictment details how the network this summer tried to recruit a US-based individual, identified as "US Resident-1," to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in the United States. That person was directed to two locations tied to the target and given explicit surveillance instructions, with payments of $1,000 to $1,500 promised. After conducting surveillance and handing over photos and videos to one of the men now charged, the individual turned down a $40,000 offer to "eliminate" the target. Following that refusal, the intelligence services member attempted to recruit other people in the US for the job, offering substantial sums of money.