U.S. intelligence discovered earlier this year that Russia planned to assassinate the chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall RHMG.DE which has been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine, CNN reported on Thursday, citing five unidentified U.S. and Western officials.
The plot to kill Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger was one of a series of Russian government plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe who were supporting Ukraine’s war effort, according to CNN.
The U.S. informed Germany, the report said, adding that German security services were able to protect Papperger.
Rheinmetall said in a statement that “necessary measures are always taken” in regular consultation with security authorities.
The Russian embassy in Washington and Kremlin were not immediately available for comment.
Rheinmetall, one of the world’s biggest producers of artillery and tank shells, began ramping up production after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In May 2023, it said it had set up a joint venture with Ukrainian state-owned conglomerate Ukroboronprom to build and repair tanks in Ukraine.
Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of current President Vladimir Putin, said Russia would retaliate by hitting any facility Rheinmetall set up in Ukraine.
In February, Rheinmetall announced that it also planned to open an ammunition factory in Ukraine.
Two months on, Papperger – who has been with Rheinmetall for 34 years, including more than 11 years as CEO – made headlines when his garden house was set on fire by what tabloid newspaper Bild said were far-left activists.
VIGILANT
Italy’s Leonardo LDOF.MI, which last week formed a joint venture with Rheinmetall to produce tanks, has no plans at the moment to increase security measures for its executives, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
Asked about the report at the current NATO summit in Washington, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia was waging a hybrid war of aggression, including cyberattacks and sabotage of infrastructure.
“This underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive,” she said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in response to a question on the report, said he had seen a Russian campaign of hostile acts against NATO which he said only led to allies stepping up support for Ukraine.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Interior Ministry declined to comment on the CNN report, adding that the government was generally taking the threats posed by Moscow very seriously.
“Our security authorities are very vigilant and act accordingly, in close cooperation with our international partners,” the spokesperson said. “The federal government will not be intimidated by the Russian threats. We will continue to do everything in our power to prevent possible threats in Germany.”
Germany’s domestic intelligence services declined to comment.
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