The FBI announced that it caught a ring of five foreign nationals working for the Russians who were trying to carry out an assassination on U.S. soil.
Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026
The DOJ and FBI announced on September 15-16, 2026 charges against five people working for Russian intelligence in an alleged plot to murder a Russian dissident in the Washington, D.C. area, with the FBI saying it disrupted the plot.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… But I'm, I'm sure you're right. I'm sure it's lower than it used to be, and you can't monitor everything when it's just, yeah, I mean, it must be a kind of intelligence memory. But the other side of it is, you know, the FBI announced last week that it caught a ring of five foreign nationals working for the Russians who were trying to carry out an assassination on Us. Soil. Yeah, and that, I think, as well. Yeah, and that's another ratcheting up. In You know, okay, the swap that I was part of: an FSB assassin murdered somebody in broad daylight in Germany, and then they swapped me, you know, and a host of others, for him and a …
The Bulwark Daily · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The DOJ (primary) announced unsealed charges against five individuals working for Russian intelligence services to conduct attacks and murders, including in the United States, with the FBI involved in the announcement.[3][4]
Supports. Reuters and AP report the plot targeted a prominent Russian dissident in the Washington, D.C. area, and FBI New York and Washington officials said the FBI disrupted the plans.[1][2]
Supports. The defendants include Russian, Cuban, and Venezuelan nationals, which matches the 'five foreign nationals' description.[1][5]
Context. All five defendants remain at large, so the claim that the FBI 'caught' them overstates the outcome, though the FBI did disrupt the plot and charge the ring.[3][5]
Context. Extraction check: the post says 'last week,' but the announcement was dated September 15-16, about two weeks before the September 29 post. The claim's core content matches the post, and the timing difference is peripheral.[3][4]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 1 tier 1
- 1US charges five people in alleged Russian-backed murder plotsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2The FBI thwarted a Russian plot to kill a prominent dissident in Washington, authorities sayapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Members of Russian Intelligence Services Network Charged with Conspiring to Finance Terrorism and Commit Murder for Hire in the United Statesfbi.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 4Southern District of New York | Members Of Russian ...justice.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 5US Accuses Russia Of Trying To Kill Ukrainian Allies Overseas - BBCbbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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