Agents of Vladimir Putin conspired to assassinate a prominent Russian dissident living in Washington DC this summer, but the plan was fortunately thwarted by the Trump FBI.
According to documents filed by the Department of Justice in a New York court, a high-ranking hitman from Moscow nicknamed "Colonel Yuri" and four other spies — all still at large in Russia, two of whom are of Cuban nationality — attempted to recruit a Venezuelan residing in Brooklyn to travel to the U.S. capital and kill a critic of the regime whose name has not been revealed.
The Venezuelan photographed a location associated with the target for a few thousand dollars, but rejected an offer of $40,000 to “make the opponent disappear.” Both he and the four Putin spies are accused of belonging to a "global assassination network" to cause "destruction and chaos worldwide" since 2022.
The Kremlin agentscontacted the Venezuelan recruit through an encrypted app and asked if he knew anyone willing to conduct surveillance on the target, the court documents detail. They then sent him a message asking if he knew "someone who wants to do construction," a code term used to refer to assassination. "I have someone, but I have to ask first to see if they say yes," he replied.
The same Russian team had attempted to recruit a U.S. citizen to carry out another assassination in July 2025, this time against an exiled dissident near Lithuania. But this suspect also only agreed to photograph the opponent's house for just about $200 and did not agree to participate in any crime for financial incentive.
The gang is allegedly led by Yuri Khrameevcon, alias "Colonel Yuri," a 63-year-old man who met Putin when they were both young. Another team member, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, is "an influential member of the Cuban diaspora residing in Russia" who is responsible for "coordinating travel and payments for acts of terrorism," the indictment states.
Operation Washington: Trump's FBI thwarted a plan by Putin's hitmen to assassinate a dissident living in the US
