Discover More →
WORLD

Federal officials allege Russian plot to kill targets in US and Europe

Federal authorities said Tuesday that Russian intelligence services plotted targeted killings in the United States and European countries supporting Ukraine. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that a network paid or tried to pay people in the United States and other countries to surveil individuals perceived as aligned with Ukraine before planned attacks.

Federal authorities said Tuesday that Russian intelligence services were plotting targeted killings in the United States and European nations supporting Ukraine.

An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that a network connected to the intelligence services paid or attempted to pay people in the United States and other countries to surveil targets who were to be killed.

Authorities announced charges against five people who remain at large. The source did not provide details about the defendants or the alleged targets.

THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND

What evidence do prosecutors say connects the five people to the alleged network?

How were the alleged payments arranged and monitored across countries?

What protections were available to people allegedly targeted because of perceived alignment with Ukraine?

What conditions would have prevented the alleged surveillance or planned killings?

YOUR QUESTION

Does this story leave you with another question?

Send us the question the report did not answer. It may become the next question IAQ investigates.

GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · AUGUST 2026

What Was the World Curious About That Month?

10 places and 10 questions from IAQ's monthly record of global curiosity.
Explore the Full Global Curiosity Map

16 September 2026 · 05:06 · 1 sources

Sources

World — Russia plotting to kill targets in US and Europe, federal officials say

SHARE THIS REPORT

CITY GUIDE London Travel Questions Explore a city through the questions that shape the experience. GLOBAL CURIOSITY Global Curiosity Map See what the world is curious about right now. EVERYDAY LANGUAGE Global Banter Atlas Discover the playful expressions people use around the world. CONNECTED QUESTIONS Question Families Follow questions that belong to the same line of curiosity. HIDDEN MECHANISMS IAQ Lexicon Explore the mechanisms hiding behind everyday questions. SELECTED QUESTIONS Hall of Fame Questions that changed how IAQ looked at something familiar. A THOUGHT FROM IAQ
A battery stores energy, but people often use it to store certainty.
Follow the thought back to the question that produced it.
INVESTIGATIONS 007 IAQ Follow questions far enough and they begin investigating each other.
💭 Quiet Stream