A Russian plot to murder the CEO of German defense contractor Rheinmetall was foiled by German authorities following a tip-off from U.S. intelligence, CNN has reported.
Rheinmetall is a major supplier of the 155mm artillery shells that have become a mainstay of Ukraine’s combat operations against Russia. The company has also been producing military vehicles for Ukraine and is scheduled to open a manufacturing plant in Ukraine soon, making Papperger a prime target for Moscow.
An unnamed “high-level German government official” confirmed to CNN that information received from the U.S. led to Berlin’s security services moving in to protect Papperger. The broadcaster also cited five U.S. and Western officials familiar with the case as saying the plot was uncovered earlier this year. But the murder plan was only one of several targeting civilian defense executives in Europe who are key to the West’s support of Kyiv, CNN wrote.
Hybrid war
Plans to kill Western civilians on foreign soil mark a new level in Russia’s shadow war against the West. For over six months, numerous apparent acts of sabotage, such as fires, have been attributed to Russian intelligence and its proxies.
“We’re seeing sabotage, we’re seeing assassination plots, we’re seeing arson,” one senior NATO official was quoted by the news site as saying. “We’re seeing things that have a cost in human lives. I believe very much that we’re seeing a campaign of covert sabotage activities from Russia that have strategic consequences.”
The campaign was also confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S.’s National Security Council, who told CNN: “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. We have also been clear that Russia’s actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of a NATO summit on Thursday that Moscow was “waging a hybrid war of aggression.”
“We have seen that there have been attacks on factories,” she said. “And this underlines once again that we, as Europeans, must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive.” Germany’s Ministry of the Interior further added that Berlin “will not be intimidated by the Russian threats” and that its support for Ukraine remains firm.
Enhanced NATO intelligence sharing
At NATO’s summit this week, member countries discussed improved intelligence sharing in response to the perceived threat. But Moscow’s tactics make its campaign difficult to counter, with local proxies often recruited to carry out acts ranging from graffiti to arson. All these activities have common motives, according to Western leaders—to interrupt the supply of arms to Ukraine and to curb public support for the West’s backing of Kyiv. It has been hard at times for authorities to pin the blame on Russian saboteurs, as targets have not always had clear defense connections.
Polish authorities are investigating whether a massive fire at the country’s biggest retail center in May was orchestrated by Kremlin-linked operatives. Meanwhile Prime Minister Donald Tusk has publicly suggested another fire at an IKEA outlet in Vilnius in May, may have been the work of Russia.
Russian agents have recruited people in Poland to act on their behalf and in April, two men were arrested in Germany for planning attacks, including on German and U.S. military facilities.
CNN cited “multiple people familiar with the matter” as saying that the U.S. had learned of plans to attack American military personnel and assets, leading to the country’s bases in Europe being put on heightened terrorist alert in July.
An unnamed “high-level German government official” confirmed to CNN that information received from the U.S. led to Berlin’s security services moving in to protect Papperger. The broadcaster also cited five U.S. and Western officials familiar with the case as saying the plot was uncovered earlier this year. But the murder plan was only one of several targeting civilian defense executives in Europe who are key to the West’s support of Kyiv, CNN wrote.
Hybrid war
Plans to kill Western civilians on foreign soil mark a new level in Russia’s shadow war against the West. For over six months, numerous apparent acts of sabotage, such as fires, have been attributed to Russian intelligence and its proxies.
“We’re seeing sabotage, we’re seeing assassination plots, we’re seeing arson,” one senior NATO official was quoted by the news site as saying. “We’re seeing things that have a cost in human lives. I believe very much that we’re seeing a campaign of covert sabotage activities from Russia that have strategic consequences.”
The campaign was also confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S.’s National Security Council, who told CNN: “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. We have also been clear that Russia’s actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of a NATO summit on Thursday that Moscow was “waging a hybrid war of aggression.”
“We have seen that there have been attacks on factories,” she said. “And this underlines once again that we, as Europeans, must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive.” Germany’s Ministry of the Interior further added that Berlin “will not be intimidated by the Russian threats” and that its support for Ukraine remains firm.
Enhanced NATO intelligence sharing
At NATO’s summit this week, member countries discussed improved intelligence sharing in response to the perceived threat. But Moscow’s tactics make its campaign difficult to counter, with local proxies often recruited to carry out acts ranging from graffiti to arson. All these activities have common motives, according to Western leaders—to interrupt the supply of arms to Ukraine and to curb public support for the West’s backing of Kyiv. It has been hard at times for authorities to pin the blame on Russian saboteurs, as targets have not always had clear defense connections.
Polish authorities are investigating whether a massive fire at the country’s biggest retail center in May was orchestrated by Kremlin-linked operatives. Meanwhile Prime Minister Donald Tusk has publicly suggested another fire at an IKEA outlet in Vilnius in May, may have been the work of Russia.
Russian agents have recruited people in Poland to act on their behalf and in April, two men were arrested in Germany for planning attacks, including on German and U.S. military facilities.
CNN cited “multiple people familiar with the matter” as saying that the U.S. had learned of plans to attack American military personnel and assets, leading to the country’s bases in Europe being put on heightened terrorist alert in July.
Source: CNN
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