Russian Federation tried to kill Rheinmetall CEO: large-scale conspiracy uncovered

U.S. intelligence has revealed that the Kremlin planned to assassinate Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall, a powerful German arms manufacturer that produced artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine. This was part of a large-scale plot to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe who supported Kyiv.

This was reported by CNN, citing information from five American and Western officials familiar with the episode. It is noted that the United States notified Germany of the assassination attempt, whose security services were able to protect Papperger and thwart the plot.

A senior German government official confirmed that the United States had warned Berlin about the plot.

According to the sources, Russia indirectly conducted a sabotage campaign across Europe for more than six months, using local amateurs to do everything from setting fire to warehouses that held weapons for Ukraine to minor acts of vandalism. All of this was aimed at preventing weapons from the West from reaching Ukraine and suppressing public support for Kyiv.

But the intelligence revelations about Moscow's plans to assassinate military executives show just how far Russia is willing to go in the shadow war it is waging in the West.

Armin Pepperger was an obvious target because his company, Rheinmetall, is Germany's largest and most successful producer of vital 155mm artillery shells that have become the main weapon in Ukraine's bitter war of attrition. The company is opening an armored vehicle factory in Ukraine in the coming weeks, and one intelligence source says the move is deeply worrying for Russia.