US, Germany foil Russian plan to assassinate exec of arms firm helping Ukraine: report

The US and Germany claim to have worked together to shoot down a Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of a German arms manufacturer that is the main supplier of 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine, according to reports.

Russia planned to kill Armin Papperger, head of Rheinmetall, as well as other executives of European defense companies aiding Ukraine’s war effort, sources close to the situation told CNN. The Papperger plot, which was discovered earlier this year, was believed to have been at an advanced stage.

“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 told reporters, as leaders gathered in Washington, DC, for the 75th NATO summit. “I believe very much that we’re seeing a campaign of covert sabotage activities from Russia that have strategic consequences.”

American intelligence learned of the plot and warned its Germany counterparts, who then protected Papperger and thwarted the plan.

Rheinmetall, which already has a plant in Ukraine, is opening an armored vehicle factory there in the coming weeks. The company previously said it would open a total of four production plants in Ukraine.

“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,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “The United States has been discussing this issue with our NATO allies, and we are actively working together to expose and disrupt these activities. We have also been clear that Russia’s actions will not deter allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”

For more than six months, Russia has reportedly been implementing a campaign to sabotage the flow of weapons from Europe to Ukraine, largely by hiring local amateurs for various acts like arson attacks on warehouses linked to arms for Ukraine and vandalism.