A series of indictments filed by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed the inner workings of a cell of members of the Russian Intelligence Services that were planning an assassination in the United States. One court document revealed that the Russian spy network had a team of hitmen operating in Mexico.
The investigation began this summer when members of a Russian intelligence network recruited a Venezuelan national living in the United States to carry out surveillance in the D.C. area on a prominent individual whom they considered a Russian dissident. Court records filed in the case revealed that the group, which included three Russians, one Cuban, and one Venezuelan, had the other Venezuelan man do surveillance at the intended victim’s house and arrange for his murder.
The intelligence group paid the Venezuelan man $1,500 and offered $40,000 to murder the intended victim. Through a series of conversations in encrypted communication apps, one of the group members, Yaidel “Viking” Delgado Suarez, from Cuba, revealed that he had pressure from his bosses to have the victim killed and that he had a team in Mexico that could do it. However, that team was tied up at the time.
According to information from the U.S. Department of Justice, the group has been identified as:
- Yuri “Colonel Yuri” Khrameev, 63, of Russia, a former colonel in the Russian intelligence services.
- Kirill Khrameev, 27, of Russia, an officer in the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB)
- Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35, from Cuba. He is the son of Yuri Khrameev’s son and an influential member of the Cuban diaspora living in Russia.
- Yaidel “Viking” Delgado Suarez, 35, of Cuba, who has recruited or attempted to recruit multiple individuals in the United States
- Angel Eduardo Castro, 22, of Venezuela, who participated with Suarez in the recruitment of U.S.-based individuals for surveillance and murder activities.
The group has been criminally indicted in the Southern District of New York. The defendants are listed as fugitives, believed to be in Russia. Court documents do not reveal the identity of the U.S. resident who carried out the surveillance or whether he is facing any charges.
The court documents and conversations point to an unidentified cell of hitmen operating in Mexico that was not able to carry out the murder in Washington, DC. The case highlights the growing concern of Russian spies operating in Mexico under the guise of diplomats. In July, the U.S. Department of State published the report Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism, where they mention that the increased presence in recent years of “senior Russian spies” in Mexico has led to tensions between the U.S. and its southern neighbor.
In January 2025, in the closing days of the Biden administration, Breitbart Texas reported on the arrest of a Russian mercenary with the Wagner Group, Timur Praliev, in Roma, Texas. Praliev had entered the country by passing himself off as a migrant. Authorities found a drone and several thousand dollars in cash in his belongings. Court documents from the time do not reveal his intentions in entering the country; however, he was only charged with illegal entry and sentenced to time served. His fate remains unknown.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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