Ukraine’s NATO arms suppliers face deadly Russia threat

Western arms manufacturers appear to be facing a serious threat from Russian-linked covert action, after media reports this week suggested that the CEO of a top German weapons firm was the subject of a foiled assassination bid backed by Moscow.

CNN was first to report on the alleged plot, citing unnamed U.S. and Western sources with knowledge of the matter. The target was Armin Papperger, the chief executive of manufacturing giant Rheinmetall, which has been supplying Ukraine with vital artillery shells and military vehicles.

The effort to kill Papperger, CNN said, is one plot within a broader shadow campaign directed by Russia against the Western military industrial complex on which Kyiv has become heavily reliant. The plan was foiled when U.S. intelligence tipped off their German counterparts.

Newsweek cannot independently verify the reports and has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry by email to request comment.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations on Friday, telling reporters at a press briefing: “It is very difficult for us to comment on the reports of various media outlets that do not contain any serious arguments and are based on some anonymous sources. All of this is presented in the style of yet another fake, so such reports cannot be taken seriously.”

U.S. and German officials are yet to comment specifically on the reported plot to kill Papperger. But National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement to CNN that “Russia’s intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously and have been intently focused on over the past few months.”

“The United States has been discussing this issue with our NATO Allies, and we are actively working together to expose and disrupt these activities,” she added. “We have also been clear that Russia’s actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”

Russia has been accused of directing several apparent sabotage attacks in Europe in recent months, among them unexplained fires at sensitive industrial locations in Lithuania, Denmark, Poland and the U.K.

In June, a Russian-Ukrainian man was arrested at a hotel close to Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris after injuring himself in an accidental explosion. Authorities investigating the incident have since suggested the man intended to bomb a hardware store north of the capital.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said this week during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., that “there have been attacks on factories,” when discussing alleged Russian covert efforts on the continent. “This underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive.”

American facilities and personnel have also allegedly been targets. In April, two German-Russian nationals were arrested and accused of planning bomb and arson attacks on sites, including U.S. military locations.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it had put European bases on a higher level of security alert because of “a combination of factors and not related to a single threat.”