Russian authorities were preparing to assassinate the head of the arms company Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, CNN reports, citing five American and Western officials. Rheinmetall supplies weapons to Ukraine.
When American intelligence services learned about the impending murder of Papperger, they passed on the information to Germany, which was able to prevent the assassination attempt. A senior German government source confirmed to CNN that Berlin received information about the plot from the United States.
According to CNN, the impending assassination attempt on Papperger is just one case in a series of Russian-planned assassinations of defense industry executives across Europe. The TV channel does not disclose what other assassination attempts Russia was preparing, but emphasizes that the plan to kill the head of Rheinmetall was “the most thoughtful.”
After CNN's publication, the German publication Spiegel reported, citing sources, that preventing an assassination attempt on Papperger was «too radical a formulation.» According to him, German authorities received a warning from US intelligence services about two months ago, but without details of the planned attack or indication of the identities of the perpetrators.
At the end of April, Papperger's dacha in Hermannsburg caught fire, the Bild newspaper wrote. Then left-wing radicals published a post on the Indymedia platform in which they reported that they had set fire to the house of the head of Rheinmetall using an incendiary device. They explained the arson by saying that Papperger’s company was “one of the beneficiaries of the turning point” — the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Last summer, Papperger announced that Rheinmetall would open a plant for the production of armored vehicles in Ukraine. In June 2024, Ukrainian Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin announced that the first project of Rheinmetall and Ukroboronprom, a workshop for the repair and production of armored vehicles, was launched in the country.
Rheinmetall is the largest ammunition manufacturer in Europe. The company produces, in particular, 155 mm caliber shells needed by Ukraine.
Updated at 23:57. Added Spiegel information.