The U.S. and Germany have successfully foiled a Russian plot to assassinate Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall AG, a major German arms manufacturer supplying Ukraine with military equipment. This development, reported by multiple U.S. and Western officials, underscores the lengths to which Moscow is willing to go in its covert operations against European defense industry leaders.
Rheinmetall, under Papperger's leadership, has been pivotal in producing 155mm artillery shells and military vehicles essential for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression. The company is also set to open an armored vehicle plant in Ukraine, a move that has reportedly irked Moscow.
U.S. intelligence discovered the assassination plot earlier this year and promptly alerted German authorities, who were then able to implement protective measures for Papperger. A high-level German government official confirmed that Berlin was warned about the plot by the U.S. "Russia's intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously and have been intently focused on over the past few months," said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council.
For over six months, Russia has conducted a sabotage campaign across Europe, often using local proxies to execute various acts of vandalism and arson aimed at disrupting the flow of Western arms to Ukraine. These activities, designed to weaken public support for Kyiv, have included attacks on warehouses and other facilities linked to arms supplies.
The intelligence revealing Russia's willingness to assassinate private citizens marks a significant escalation in its shadow war across the West. "We're seeing sabotage, we're seeing assassination plots, we're seeing arson. We're seeing things that have a cost in human lives," a senior NATO official stated, emphasizing the strategic consequences of Russia's covert operations.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking at the NATO summit in Washington, highlighted the hybrid nature of Russia's aggression. "We have seen that there have been attacks on factories. And this underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive," Baerbock said.
The German Interior Ministry reinforced this stance, asserting that Berlin "will not be intimidated by the Russian threats," and emphasized that these threats are fundamentally aimed at undermining the support of Germany and its partners for Ukraine.
The thwarted assassination plot against Papperger is part of a broader series of Russian efforts targeting defense industry executives across Europe. These plots have heightened concerns among NATO allies about the potential for such activities to escalate into broader armed conflict.
NATO members, gathered in Washington for the bloc's 75th-anniversary summit, have been discussing ways to enhance intelligence sharing to better detect and disrupt these covert operations. This cooperation is seen as crucial for connecting the dots between seemingly isolated criminal activities that might otherwise be overlooked.
The disclosure of this assassination plot comes amid discussions about the future of U.S. intelligence sharing with NATO allies. Politico reported that former President Donald Trump is considering reducing intelligence cooperation with NATO members, a move that has sparked concern among European officials. "A cutoff or significant scaling back of U.S. intelligence sharing with NATO allies and partners would have an immediate, profound, and potentially long-lasting adverse impact on Western security interests," warned former CIA Director John Brennan.
Russia's sabotage campaign, which includes lethal actions against European citizens, presents a complex challenge for NATO. The alliance must balance the need for robust defense and intelligence measures with the risk of further escalation. As U.S. and European officials continue to work together to counter these threats, the importance of maintaining strong intelligence-sharing frameworks cannot be overstated.
