Prominent critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin have frequently died under suspicious circumstances, including falls, poisonings, or alleged suicides, leading to accusations of Kremlin-ordered assassinations. U.S. intelligence officials have long suspected that Putin uses political assassinations as a strategy, but concrete evidence has rarely been publicly released—until recently.
A newly declassified 2016 U.S. intelligence assessment titled “Kremlin-Ordered Assassinations Abroad Will Probably Persist” confirms suspicions that Putin likely authorizes the killings of high-profile targets abroad. The document outlines cases such as the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, the 2004 assassination of Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Qatar, and the suspicious 2012 death of Russian businessman Alexander Perepilichnyy in the UK.
The report highlights that Russia has the capability to use chemical and biological agents for assassinations and has targeted intelligence defectors, dissidents, and separatists. Despite its findings, the assessment notes “low-to-moderate confidence” in some conclusions due to limited direct evidence.
The declassified document underscores a broader pattern of Kremlin-linked assassinations and remains relevant today, with ongoing allegations that Putin continues such operations, including targeting Ukrainian separatists and critics since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.