NATO Officially Confirms Russian Plot to Assassinate Rheinmetall CEO
There was a Russian scheme to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. This was reported by James Appathurai, NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, as reported by Politico.
According to Appathurai, the assassination attempt, which was prevented by German and US intelligence, was part of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defence industry executives across Europe.
This is the first time that a senior NATO, German or US official has officially confirmed that there was a plot to kill Papperger, which was widely reported by the global media in July 2024.
‘We have seen cases of sabotage that have taken place in NATO countries over the last few years, by which I mean train derailments, arson attacks, attacks on politicians‘ properties, plots to assassinate industry leaders, including the head of Rheinmetall, but there have been other plots,’ Appathurai said at a meeting of the European Parliament's hybrid warfare committee on Tuesday, 28 January.
He said that the Russians recruit personnel for their plots online, using ‘criminal gangs or unwitting youth or migrants’ to carry out criminal acts.
‘This is usually done crudely, but with a specific purpose - to sow unrest to undermine support for Ukraine,’ the NATO official added.
Appathurai also told MEPs that Russia's strategic doctrine is to win politically, ‘using any tools’, including damage to infrastructure or political interference.
On 13 June 2024, then-NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that Allies intend to take tougher measures against Russian spies in response to Moscow's campaign of hostile activities in the form of sabotage and cyberattacks.
On 12 July, the AP reported that Western intelligence agencies had uncovered Russian plots to carry out assassinations, arson attacks and other sabotage in Europe against companies and people involved in supporting the Ukrainian army, including a plan to assassinate Papperger.