Questions are mounting in the United States over whether Russia has begun authorising assassination operations against opponents on American soil, following new evidence involving an alleged Russian intelligence network and threats against exiled dissidents.
The concerns have emerged from an unsealed US indictment and accounts from Russian opposition figures who say they have been targeted by people linked to Moscow. The developments have raised fears that covert operations traditionally associated with Europe could increasingly be extended to the United States.
One of those facing renewed concern is Russian investigative journalist and Kremlin critic Roman Dobrokhotov, whose name surfaced during a London trial involving an alleged Russian spy network. He has previously been identified as a potential target of a Russian operation described as having potentially murderous intent.
Dobrokhotov attended a conference in Washington this week, an appearance that would ordinarily have carried greater security concerns because of the threats associated with his opposition activities.
The latest allegations come amid a broader pattern of reported Russian intelligence activity against dissidents and critics living outside the country. European authorities have previously investigated suspected Russian operations involving surveillance, intimidation and alleged plots against opponents of President Vladimir Putin.
A recent account by Russian artist and activist Rita Flores has also drawn attention to the methods allegedly used by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, to recruit and control individuals abroad. Flores has described being pressured into gathering information on fellow activists and eventually becoming involved in a plot targeting a Kremlin opponent. Her account has not been independently corroborated in full.
The US investigation has heightened concern because operations carried out on American territory would represent a significant escalation in the confrontation between Moscow and Washington.
The allegations are particularly sensitive because Russia and the United States are already locked in a prolonged geopolitical confrontation over the war in Ukraine, sanctions, intelligence operations and wider security issues.
For years, Western governments have accused Russian intelligence agencies of conducting covert operations against political opponents, former intelligence personnel and dissidents living abroad. Some cases have resulted in criminal investigations and diplomatic disputes between Moscow and Western capitals.
The emergence of new evidence in the United States is therefore being closely watched by security officials and Russian opposition figures.
However, the available evidence does not establish that the Russian government has adopted a formal policy of ordering assassinations inside the United States. The allegations involve specific investigations, intelligence assessments and accounts from individuals who say they were targeted.
The issue nevertheless raises broader questions about the changing nature of intelligence operations between Russia and the West, particularly as governments increasingly confront covert activity alongside conventional military and diplomatic disputes.
For Russian dissidents living in the United States and elsewhere, the developments could also mean heightened security concerns as they continue political and journalistic activities outside Russia
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