A senior NATO official confirmed the existence of a Russian plan to assassinate the head of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall Armin Papperger.
According to NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai, the plot, which was foiled by US and German intelligence, was part of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry leaders across Europe.
For the first time, a senior NATO, German, or US official officially confirmed the existence of a plot to assassinate Papperger, which was widely reported by global media in July 2024, notes Politico.
'In the last couple of years, we have observed cases of sabotage in NATO countries, by which I mean train derailments, arson, attacks on politicians' property, plots to assassinate industry leaders, such as the head of the company Rheinmetall, but there were other plots,' said Appathurai at a European Parliament committee meeting on hybrid wars on Tuesday morning.
According to him, the Kremlin recruits operatives for its operations online, using 'criminal groups, youth, or migrants' to carry out sabotage and assassinations. 'As a rule, they are carried out crudely, but with a certain goal—to sow confusion to undermine support for Ukraine,' added the NATO representative.
Russia's strategic doctrine is to achieve victory through political victory, 'using any tools,' including damaging infrastructure or political interference, Appathurai believes.
He stated that Europe needs to get rid of the 'boiling frog' mentality and echoed the words of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who in his speech last December said that it is time to move to 'military thinking.' He suggested that the alliance become more decisive and not wait for the end of a police investigation, which can take six or seven months, before taking action.
In July, the TV channel CNN reported that the plot to assassinate Papperger was one of a series of plans by the Russian government to assassinate defense industry leaders across Europe who supported Ukraine's military actions.