Key facts
- US prosecutors charged five people allegedly working for Russian intelligence.
- Charges include conspiracy to finance terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
- The network allegedly targeted civilian and military infrastructure in European countries aligned with Ukraine.
- A Russian dissident in the US was allegedly targeted for assassination.
- Operations were allegedly coordinated in Prague and Lithuania in 2024.
- All five defendants remain at large.
US prosecutors have charged five individuals with conspiracy to finance terrorism and commit murder for hire, alleging they were part of a global network operating on behalf of Russian intelligence. The charges, unveiled on Tuesday, detail alleged plans to conduct surveillance and assassinations in the United States and to attack civilian and military infrastructure in European nations supporting Ukraine.
According to the indictment, the group recently approached a US-based individual with an offer of $40,000 to "eliminate" or "disappear" a prominent Russian dissident living in the country. In a separate instance, an alleged Russian intelligence officer reportedly offered $25,000 to kill a dissident in Lithuania. This individual also proposed attacks on a warehouse or electrical substation in countries that are assisting Ukraine. The network is also accused of coordinating operations in Prague and Lithuania during 2024.
Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg stated that the defendants "allegedly operated as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States," acting "at the behest of the Kremlin." These accusations emerge amid a series of alleged Russian-linked operations in Europe, including a drone attack at Leipzig-Halle airport in Germany for which Moscow has been blamed, and the recent downing of a drone by NATO jets entering Lithuanian airspace.