German arms bigwig targeted by Moscow. The United States and Germany earlier this year foiled an assassination plot attributed to Russia against the CEO of a major German arms manufacturer supplying weapons to Ukraine, it was reported on Thursday, July 11. American channel CNN.
Citing five unidentified US and Western officials, CNN said Washington informed Berlin of the planned assassination of Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger and that he was provided with protection by German security services.
According to the network, this plan is part of a series of Russian projects uncovered by US intelligence to kill executives of the European defense industry supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia. Rheinmetall produces 155 mm artillery shells and plans to start manufacturing armored vehicles in Ukraine, according to CNN.
“A hybrid war of aggression”
The channel’s information came in the middle of the NATO summit in Washington. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “in view of the latest information on Rheinmetall, this is what we have been communicating more and more clearly in recent months. Russia is waging a hybrid war of aggression.” “With sabotage, cyberattacks, with GPS paralysis so that Baltic planes can no longer land in neighboring countries,” she added. “We have seen that there have been attacks on people on European territory,” she continued. “We have seen that there have been attacks on factories.” “And this shows once again that we, as Europeans, must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive,” she added.
A spokesman for the German Interior Ministry declined to comment directly on the Rheinmetall reports, but said “the German government takes the threats from the Russian regime very seriously.”
Rheinmetall spokesman Oliver Hoffmann said the company was “not in a position to comment on matters relating to the company’s security.” “Necessary measures are always taken in consultation with the security authorities,” Hoffmann added.