US federal authorities charged five people with plotting to kill a Russian dissident in Washington, DC, alleging they were part of a Kremlin-controlled “global assassination network” targeting perceived allies of Ukraine.
Though Russia’s Vladimir Putin recently assured US President Donald Trump that Moscow has “no aggressive intentions” against Europe, Russian-linked arson, cyberattacks, surveillance, and industrial sabotage have intensified across NATO since 2025, the Institute for the Study of War said.
Tuesday’s indictments, though, mark the extraordinary instance of Moscow-backed activities on US soil. Deadlocked at the frontlines, the five-year war is increasingly playing out in arenas far from Russia and Ukraine: Ukrainian drone specialists are supporting local proxies against Russian forces in Mali and Libya, CNN reported.