Russia’s Shadowy Operation to Assassinate Manufacturer Sending Arms to Ukraine

The government of Russia had a plan to assassinate the CEO of Rheinmetall, a German company that manufactures weapons and which provides equipment to Ukraine .

According to what they said to cnn U.S. and Western officials familiar with the matter, The operation was discovered by UNITED STATES So in early 2024, they alerted Germany so that his agents can protect him and foil the plot.

The man they allegedly tried to kill is Armin Papperger, who heads the company that produces artillery howitzers and military vehicles .

For the Ukrainian troops, The tools produced by the company were crucial in dealing with the Russian offensive and stop advances on their territory.

Actually, The company is expected to open an armoured vehicle factory in the country .

One of the intelligence sources assured the aforementioned media that Russia is concerned about the latter factor. .

The information was released the same week that the leaders of the NATO participated in a summit in Washington as part of the 75th anniversary of the Alliance.

When developing the instance, New economic and military support measures have been announced for the country of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which has remained at war with Russia since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.

Although the National Security Council (NSC) has preferred not to comment on the Russian plot, the organization’s spokeswoman, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement that “The intensification of Russia’s campaign of subversion is something we take extremely seriously. and what we have been focusing on intensely in recent months.

“The United States has discussed this issue with our NATO allies and We are actively working to unmask and disrupt these activities. “he added.

He said: “We have also made it clear that Russia’s actions are not will deter the Allies from continuing to support in Ukraine “.

A Rheinmetall spokesman, Olivier Hoffman, declined to comment on the plot. However, he said that “the necessary measures are always taken in regular consultation with the security authorities” .

A senior NATO official said in statements obtained by CNN that: In Europe, “we are seeing sabotage, assassination plots, arson and things that cost human lives” .

In this direction, suggested that it was “a campaign of covert activities of sabotage by Russia.

According to information provided by the above-mentioned sources, Russia has been carrying out such operations in recent months. —largely—through the recruitment of local intermediaries .

However, they stated that It was unclear whether the plan to assassinate Papperger would go through the latter. or through direct agents.

At the same time, they assured that The week before the NATO summit, US military bases in Europe were placed on high alert. .

That, after receiving information that Russian-backed actors were planning acts of sabotage against their country’s personnel and facilities.

Previously, in April, the agency Reuters had reported that Two German-Russian citizens arrested in Germany for planning attacks – allegedly on behalf of Russia with bombs and fires against targets including US military installations.

Similar situations have been observed in other countries of the region.

In March, a group of individuals were accused in London, England, of collaborating with Russian secret services to set fire to a warehouse linked to Ukraine.

In the same way, In Poland, an arson attack that destroyed a shopping mall in Warsaw in May is being investigated to determine whether it is linked. in Russia. They also arrested nine people for acts of sabotage linked to that country.

Furthermore, In France, a Russian-Ukrainian was arrested in June for allegedly making bombs as part of a sabotage campaign organized by Russia. As reported The world .

“They are doing it now because They believe that since several elections are taking place all over the West, this is an excellent opportunity to try to undermine public support for Ukraine,” the senior NATO official charged, according to CNN.

Faced with this tense scenario, The Kremlin has denied the accusations. .

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that “This is all presented as fake news, so we cannot take this information seriously” .

“It is very difficult for us to comment on media reports that do not contain any serious information and are based on anonymous sources “, the Russian spokesman stressed.