Germany has responded to reports of an alleged foiled assassination attempt against one of Ukraine’s largest arms dealers in the country. Berlin made it clear that they will not be intimidated by Russian attempts to undermine their support of Ukraine. According to CNN, Russia planned to kill the German CEO of a major military technology and artillery round supplier for Ukraine, Armin Papperger of Rheinmetall. The US informed Germany about the plot, and the German security services were able to prevent it. However, neither Rheinmetall nor the German government provided any comments on the report.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall stated that his ministry cannot comment on specific threat situations but acknowledged the increased threat from Russian aggression. He emphasized that German security measures have been significantly enhanced since 2022, as the threats range from espionage and sabotage to cyberattacks and state terrorism. Despite the alleged assassination plot, Kall maintained that the German government will not be intimidated by Putin’s regime’s efforts to undermine their support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports of the foiled assassination attempt as fake news, stating that such reports should not be taken seriously. The alleged plot against Armin Papperger is said to be just one in a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe who support Ukraine’s war effort. In April, German investigators arrested two German-Russian men on suspicion of espionage, with one accused of planning attacks on potential targets, including US military facilities, to sabotage aid for Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, Germany has become the second-biggest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the US. The conflict has proven to be a major boon for Armin Papperger, as his arms company Rheinmetall reported a 134-year high in its shares in 2023 due to the large amounts of arms being supplied to the battlefield. The tensions surrounding the situation in Ukraine and the alleged assassination attempt highlight the growing security concerns in the region and the challenges faced by countries supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
