Russia is suspected of orchestrating a plot to assassinate a high-ranking European defense official.

According to NATO diplomats, Russia is believed to be behind a foiled plot to assassinate the head of Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturer due to his company's support for Ukraine. The alleged conspiracy targeted Armin Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall, a Düsseldorf-based defense company, and is viewed as part of Russia's broader sabotage and hybrid attack campaign against European NATO states. This information was first reported by CNN.

A person familiar with Papperger's security measures indicated that the level of protection around him was “at the highest level,” comparable to that of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Although a spokesperson for Scholz declined to comment, Papperger told the Financial Times that Berlin had established a “great level of security around my person.”

 

Papperger could not confirm specific details of the plot but expressed belief in the accuracy of the CNN report, which stated that US intelligence uncovered the effort and alerted German authorities, who then foiled the plot. "I think CNN is not just looking up at the sky,” he said regarding the credibility of the US broadcaster’s story.

 

Papperger drew the Kremlin’s ire in 2023 when he announced plans to build a Panther tank factory in Ukraine, prompting a threat from the Russian foreign ministry to destroy the facility.

 

Despite the severity of the allegations, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Western intelligence services have recently warned of Russia's increased sabotage attempts in Europe, including plots targeting military bases in Germany. However, despite the escalating nature of these warnings, diplomats indicated that the German government was keen to downplay the developments concerning Papperger at the NATO summit in Washington.

 

NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, declined to comment on the specific assassination report when asked, but noted: “What I can say is there is a pattern, a Russian campaign organized by the [Kremlin] security services to conduct hostile actions against NATO allies…with different types of hostile actions.”

 

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