Russia planned to assassinate the chief executive of a major German arms manufacturer that supplies artillery shells and armored vehicles to Ukraine, but the plot was uncovered and thwarted by U.S. and German authorities, according to a U.S. official and a source familiar with the matter.
Accused script targeted Armin Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall AG, Europe’s largest ammunition maker, which makes 155mm artillery shells for Ukraine and plans to open several factories inside the country to produce both ammunition and armored vehicles, including the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. U.S. intelligence agencies learned of the plan to pursue Papperger earlier this year and informed the German government, the sources said.
CNN was first to report the assassination plot.
Papperger was among a number of European defence industry chiefs targeted but sources say the plot against him is believed to be more complex.
The revelations follow recent warnings from NATO’s secretary general, European governments and US officials about the expansionist efforts of Moscow to disrupt arms supplies to Ukraine as it tries to defend itself against Russian army invaded.
The White House National Security Council would not comment directly on the specific case involving Rheinmetall, but council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the Biden administration is concerned about the growing threat of Russian sabotage.
“While I have no comment on this specific report, Russia’s escalating campaign of sabotage is something we take extremely seriously and have been focused on for several months,” Watson said. “The United States has discussed this with our NATO allies and we are working closely together to expose and disrupt these activities. We have also made clear that Russia’s actions will not deter our allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA and the German embassy in Washington all declined to comment.
Rheinmetall spokesman Oliver Hoffman said the company did not normally comment on security matters but said “necessary measures are always taken after regular consultation with security authorities”.
A spokesman for the Democratic minority on the House Intelligence Committee declined to comment on the alleged plot but said: “As Putin continues to fail to implement his maximalist agenda in Ukraine, Russia has increasingly turned to illegal and aggressive malign activities abroad, including in NATO countries. The Intelligence Committee is closely monitoring these threats, which only strengthens our resolve to support Ukraine.”
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance members planned to impose more restrictions on Russian intelligence agents and beef up security for critical infrastructure to counter Moscow’s use of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation to undermine Western support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“We have seen a number of examples of vandalism, arson, cyber attacks, disinformation,” Stoltenberg told reporters.
NBC News previously reported that Russia is waging a sabotage campaign across Europe in President Vladimir Putin’s increasingly aggressive effort to undermine Western support for Ukraine, seeking to sabotage railways, military bases and other sites used to supply weapons to Kyiv.
The sabotage effort included an alleged Russia-backed arson attack on a Ukraine-linked warehouse in the UK, a plot to bomb or burn to military bases in Germany, attempts to attack and disrupt Europe’s railway signaling network, and stuck of the GPS system for civil aviation.
A February report from the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based security think tank, warned that Russia’s intelligence agency, the GRU, is building a secret network of agents to conduct espionage and potential sabotage operations in Europe.
Rheinmetall’s Papperger announced last month that his company plans to allow production of Lynx infantry fighting vehicles inside Ukraine “in the near future.” And in February, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine to establish a joint production plant for artillery shells. The plant will produce “six-digit numbers” of 155mm artillery shells in the near future, the company said.
Rheinmetall’s cooperation with Ukraine is part of a broader effort by European governments to help Kyiv build its own defense industry and reduce its dependence on Western support.
