According to consistent information, Russia was preparing an attack on Armin Papperger, the head of Rheinmetall, the number 1 in the German arms industry. The affair, revealed on Thursday, July 11 by the American channel CNN, has caused shock and anger in Germany. The Kremlin rejected this press information on Friday, July 12, considering that it is not based on ” no serious argument “, while Rheinmettal is one of the main arms suppliers to Ukraine.
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On Thursday, the American channel CNN reported that the United States and Germany had foiled an assassination plot earlier this year attributed to Russia against Armin Papperger, the head of German industrial group Rheinmetall.
Because the boss Armin Papperger is an essential link in the arms deliveries to theUkraine and is a declared supporter of kyiv, our correspondent in Berlin reports, Nathalie VersieuxThe Rheinmetall boss supplies Ukraine with tanks and ammunition and is working on the construction of a munitions factory in Ukraine, opening a first workshop west of kyiv to repair the equipment supplied.
Armin Papperger knew he was under threat. In the past, unknown persons had already set fire to an outbuilding on his private property. This time, suspicious movements of alleged Russian agents were observed near Rheinmetall’s premises and during the company boss’s trips. Rheinmetall spokesman Oliver Hoffmann said he was not ” able to comment on issues relating to company security “.
The American channel reported that Washington informed Berlin of this assassination plan and that protection had been provided by the German security services to Armin Papperger. Also according to CNN, this plan is part of a series of Russian projects uncovered by American intelligence to kill executives of the European defense industry supporting the Ukrainian war effort against the Russia.
” We will do everything to counter Russian threats in Germany »
The German government also declined to comment directly on the Rheinmetall reports on Friday. We cannot comment on specific threats. “, Interior Ministry spokesman Maximilian Kall said at the traditional government conference. But at the same time, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the country would not allow itself to ” not intimidated by Russia “.
“ We will do everything to counter Russian threats in Germany ” she added on X, without referring specifically to the Rheinmetall affair. As for German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, she also accused Russia of leading ” a hybrid war of aggression ” against the West, in particular ” with sabotage, cyber attacks “, but also ” attacks on people ” And ” factories “.
For its part, the German weekly The Mirror provided additional details to those published by CNN. According to the newspaper, suspected Russian agents had traveled to theEuropean Union with the aim of carrying out the attack. The suspects are said to have been staying near the group’s headquarters in Düsseldorf, in western Germany.Germanyas well as in Mr. Papperger’s travel destinations abroad.
The information collected by the authorities was not considered sufficient to make arrests, however, according to The Mirrorwhich cites senior officials from Western intelligence services.
Russia denies
” All this is presented in the style of “fake news”and therefore we cannot take this information seriously.Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. It is very difficult for us to comment on information from various media outlets that do not contain any serious arguments and are based on anonymous sources. »
In Berlin, the threat is taken all the more seriously as incidents of this type are increasing. Several Russian agents suspected of wanting to commit sabotage have been arrested in recent months. In May 2024, the Berlin premises of the arms manufacturer Diehl mysteriously caught fire without causing any casualties.