Russia plotted to kill CEO of major German weapons manufacturer deemed 'thorn in Moscow's side'

The U.S. and Germany managed to thwart a Russian plot that would have killed the head of a major German arms manufacturer as part of a sabotage campaign against Ukrainian allies and support across Europe, intelligence officials revealed. 

"In view of the latest reports on Rheinmetall, this is what we have actually been communicating more and more clearly in recent months: Russia is waging a hybrid war of aggression," Annalena Baerbock, Germany's foreign minister, said on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit. 

"We have seen that there have been attacks on people on European territory," she explained. "We have seen that there have been attacks on factories, and this underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive."

CNN first reported on the allegation, citing five U.S. and Western officials familiar with the episode, claiming that it was one of "a series" of plots to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe in an effort to cripple Ukraine’s support network.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, right, with artillery ammunition before the groundbreaking ceremony for a new munitions factory of German defense contractor Rheinmetall on Feb. 12, 2024 in Unterluess, Germany. (David Hecker/Getty Images)

Rheinmetall serves as the leading manufacturer of large artillery shells, which have proven key to Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s ongoing war. The manufacturer even plans to open an armored vehicle plant inside Ukraine in the coming weeks. 

The Guardian described Rheinmetall as a "thorn in Moscow’s side" since the invasion of Ukraine started, providing a range of weapons and tanks for Ukraine, including the Leopard 1 tank and Marder infantry fighting vehicles. 

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Armin Papperger, chief executive officer of Rheinmetall AG, speaks during the Federation of German Industries (BDI) conference in Berlin on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The plot to kill Rheinmetall’s CEO Armin Papperger emerged earlier this year, with U.S. intelligence uncovering the plot and informing German counterparts so they could act. German intelligence later informed Rheinmetall of what had unfolded after the fact. 

A Rheinmetall spokesperson told Politico that there was no concrete attempt but simply a "plot" that the German intelligence stopped from advancing. The company also stressed that "necessary measures are always taken" in conjunction with security authorities to safeguard personnel. 

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Rebekah Koffler said the plot to kill Rheinmetall’s CEO Armin Papperger would come "straight out of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s Playbook." (Reuters)

Rebekah Koffler, a freelance consultant for international, politics and world news, told Fox News Digital that the plot to kill Papperger would come "straight out of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s Playbook," handling what she called the "wet deeds" doctrine.

"’Wet deeds’ are targeted assassinations conducted by Russian intelligence services on Putin’s orders to eliminate the so-called enemies of the state," Koffler explained, adding that such activities are authorized by Russian federal law to counter "extreme activity," including killings, kidnappings, poisonings, "forced suicides" and "other acts of intimidation and murder." 

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A senior NATO official told reporters at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., that Russia has increased its efforts to sabotage Ukraine’s support network throughout Europe, warning that Moscow is engaging in sabotage, assassination plots and arson – "things that have cost in human lives." 

"I believe very much that we’re seeing a campaign of cover sabotage activities from Russia that have strategic consequences," the official said.