# US charges five in alleged Russian murder plots

> US officials say a Russian intelligence network tried to hire people to surveil and kill Ukraine-aligned targets.
- Title: US charges five in alleged Russian murder plots · the Guardian
- Summary: US officials say a Russian intelligence network tried to hire people to surveil and kill Ukraine-aligned targets. Federal officials say Russia is expanding…
- Keywords: russia, fbi, ukraine, united states, europe, manhattan federal court, russian intelligence services, targeted killings, surveillance, james barnacle jr, darren cox, russian dissidents
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/russia-us-killings-plot
- Author: Associated Press
- Published: 2026-09-16T01:18:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: russia, fbi, ukraine, united states, europe, manhattan federal court, russian intelligence services, targeted killings, surveillance, james barnacle jr, darren cox, russian dissidents
## US alleges murder plots
Federal authorities say Russian intelligence services planned targeted killings in the US and Europe against people viewed as aligned with Ukraine.

> Russia’s intelligence services are plotting to carry out targeted killings
## Five people charged
An indictment unsealed in Manhattan says a network paid and tried to pay recruits to surveil targets before planned killings. The five charged remain at large.
## Infrastructure was targeted too
Prosecutors say recruits were also asked to carry out terror attacks on civilian and military infrastructure in European countries backing Ukraine.
## FBI says plot disrupted
FBI officials in New York and Washington said multiple field offices and partner agencies moved quickly after identifying the threat.

> moved quickly to disrupt the plot
## Network expanded since 2024
Officials say the Russian Federation network had conducted attacks and murders around the world since at least 2024, first focusing on dissidents and defectors.

> one arm
## A recruit refused murder
This summer, a US-based person allegedly gathered photos and videos of a target’s locations, then refused $40,000 to kill or make the person “disappear”.

> eliminate
## Key takeaway

Federal officials say Russia is expanding overseas attacks from dissidents to people and nations seen as backing Ukraine.