According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the Russian security services are trying to scare NATO allies into stopping their support for Ukraine.
Earlier this year, the United States thwarted a Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of a major German arms manufacturer, reports a news channel CNN. The news channel’s information is based on five official sources.
According to media reports, the target would have been the CEO of Rheinmetall Armin Papperger. The United States told Germany about the Russian plans, after which the German security services arranged for Papperger to be protected.
Rheinmetall confirmed To Politico having received information about the matter from the authorities. A representative of the company emphasized to Politico that there had been no concrete assassination attempt against Papperger. Papperger, on the other hand, is a self-reported economic magazine for the Financial Timesthat the German administration had increased security measures around him.
According to CNN’s information, the assassination plot was part of a wider plan in which Russia sought to weaken the arms industry in Europe that supports Ukraine’s military operations. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said at the press conference he held in connection with the NATO summit, that he is not aware of any similar activity targeting Finland.
Rheinmetall has been in Russia’s sights for a long time
German newspaper Spiegel’s according to Rheinmetall has grown significantly since Russia launched its large-scale offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. For this reason, Papperger is considered an attractive destination for Russia.
Papperger has pushed for an increase in arms deliveries to Ukraine. The company is also building a new tank factory in Ukraine and wants to develop the region’s arms industry.
Sources within the company have told Spiegel that Rheinmetall has been the target of Russian hybrid influence for a long time. In addition to the propaganda spread about Rheinmetall, the company has also been targeted by cyber attacks.
Papperger, on the other hand, is said to have several bodyguards protecting him, and the security measures have a significant impact on his life.
Rheinmetall is Germany’s largest and most successful manufacturer of 155 millimeter artillery shells. The munitions in question are an important resource for Ukraine in the country’s defense against Russia’s war of aggression.
Stoltenberg: It’s not about individual cases
Germany’s interior ministry declined to comment separately on the CNN story in an email to Politico.
– Our security authorities are very vigilant and act accordingly in close cooperation with our international partners, the spokesperson of the ministry said.
– The federal government is not afraid of Russian threats. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent potential threats in Germany, he added.
Secretary General of NATO from Jens Stoltenberg was asked at a press conference in Washington to comment on the alleged Russian assassination plot targeting Armin Papperger.
Stoltenberg did not directly comment on the information in the CNN news, but said that NATO countries have observed a pattern in which Russian security services organize hostile activities against NATO allies.
According to Stoltenberg, it is not about individual cases but about a campaign, the purpose of which is to scare NATO allies to stop supporting Ukraine.
Stubb: “It won’t come as a surprise”
According to President Stubb, the assassination plot reported by CNN is an example of Russia’s hybrid influence, which is very wide-ranging.
– Information warfare. Cyber harassment. Sabotage. Even assassinations, which of course we have also seen outside of Russia’s borders during Russia’s recent history. It doesn’t come as a surprise in any way, but I haven’t seen the actual details of this, Stubb said at a news conference in Washington.
Stubb said that he has been emphasizing for a long time that the NATO countries must be prepared for Russia’s hostile actions in the long term, because it is not a passing phenomenon.
– We should now get used to this type of action from the Russian side. Russia’s activities on the hybrid side have very few limits.