Indictment Alleges Russia Tried to Arrange Murders of Russian Dissidents in the U.S. and Europe

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Cite

Volokh, E. (2026, September 23). Indictment Alleges Russia Tried to Arrange Murders of Russian Dissidents in the U.S. and Europe. Reason. https://reason.com/volokh/2026/09/23/indictment-alleges-russia-tried-to-arrange-murders-of-russian-dissidents-in-the-u-s-and-europe/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Reason · collected 2026-09-23 · by Eugene Volokh

Quick Summary

An indictment filed last week alleges that individuals working for Russian intelligence services have been involved in surveillance and attempts to murder Russian dissidents living abroad, including those in Europe and the United States since at least 2024. The RIS Network also attempted to recruit American individuals to carry out these acts and allegedly tried to hire a contract killer for $40,000 to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident believed to be residing in the U.S.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Tuesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced charges against five Russians, including former colonel Yuri Khrameev and his son Kirill Khrameev, for allegedly working with Russian intelligence to plot murders of dissidents both in Europe and the United States. The indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, includes efforts to murder a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington D.C and surveilling another one in Lithuania. The conspirators also attempted to recruit individuals in the U.S. to carry out acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries supporting Ukraine since 2024. Federal authorities say they disrupted these plans, highlighting Russia's use of destabilizing tactics similar to those seen in Europe but now potentially targeting American soil.

Written for “Russian Assassination PlotsExposed” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Russian Assassination PlotsExposed
Politics · 8 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

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“The first article describes broader repression tactics by Russia against critics overseas, while the second details a specific indictment alleging murder plots. Although related, they describe different events.”
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The Guardian
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“Article A describes Rita Flores's recruitment by Russian spies and her cooperation over three years, while Article B discusses an indictment alleging broader conspiracies involving murder plots against Russian dissidents in the U.S. and Europe.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
4
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
25%
1 of 4 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
Reason's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
8
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Eugene Volokh
192 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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All 192 articles by Eugene Volokh →

Topics

Russian U.S. the "RIS Network" the Russian Federation the United States

Subjects

the United States GPE · 4× Russian NORP · 2× European NORP · 1× Justice Department ORG · 1× Khrameev PERSON · 1× The RIS Network ORG · 1× U.S. GPE · 1× Ukraine GPE · 1× the "RIS Network" ORG · 1× the Russian Federation GPE · 1×

Narrative

The RIS Network has, among other things, endeavored to surveil and murder Russian dissidents residing in both Europe and the United States; established a criminal network that has committed and attempted to commit acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine; and sought to recruit, and recruited, individuals from and within the United States and elsewhere to carry out these acts.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
2026-09-23 · Reason
Indictment Alleges Russia Tried to Arrange Murders of Russian Dissidents in the U.S. and Europe · mixed framing

Claims (4 extracted, 1 hedged)

Since at least in or about 2024, a network of individuals working for the intelligence services of the Russian Federation (the "RIS Network") has conspired to conduct and conducted attacks and murder around the world, including within the United States. asserted
network → work → States
The RIS Network has, among other things, endeavored to surveil and murder Russian dissidents residing in both Europe and the United States; established a criminal network that has committed and attempted to commit acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are aligned, or perceived to be aligned, with Ukraine; and sought to recruit, and recruited, individuals from and within the United States and elsewhere to carry out these acts. asserted
that → endeavor → acts
This included allegedly trying to hire a contract killer for $40,000, to "murder a prominent Russian dissident they believed to be residing in the United States." uncertain
they → include → States
You can also see more in the Justice Department press release on the matter. asserted
You → see → matter
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