Alleged Rheinmetall attackers had already entered EU
Western intelligence services have observed suspicious travels of alleged Russian agents in the past few months, targeting Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. In addition, henchmen have reportedly been spotted not only near the company headquarters but also at Papperger's travel destinations abroad.
The danger to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger from possible assassination plans was apparently more concrete than previously known, according to "Spiegel" magazine. According to information from security circles, western intelligence services have observed suspicious travels of alleged agents in the past few months. These men were reportedly from countries of the former Soviet Union, at least one from Russia. Some had already been in the Schengen Area, while others had planned entries.
Suspicious individuals were reportedly spotted not only near the Rheinmetall headquarters but also at Papperger's foreign travel destinations. Senior officials suspect they could be "proxies" of Russian intelligence services - hired hands. However, the evidence for arrests did not suffice according to the magazine's research.
CNN reported on possible assassination plans against Papperger on Thursday. The Russian government allegedly planned an attack on the head of the defense conglomerate in January, who supplies weapons and military vehicles to Ukraine. According to the broadcaster, citing five agency representatives in the US and Germany, this assassination was part of a series of Russian plans to murder leaders of the arms industry across Europe. The plan to assassinate Papperger was the most advanced. According to the report, the US informed the German government, which was then able to thwart the plot.
Rheinmetall declined to comment on the information published in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung." Papperger himself assumes that the war in Ukraine will last a long time. "It harms the Russians as well, but it can last forever. Russia has completely reoriented its industry towards war economy," Papperger told the newspaper.
Papperger expects sustained growth for the Düsseldorf defense conglomerate. This year, sales are expected to increase by 40 percent. "I didn't expect our company to grow to this size. But we assume that the growth will continue to be over 20 percent," Papperger said. That means an increase of two billion euros in sales per year. "Ten years ago, our total sales in the defense sector were still that amount," Papperger added. This is only possible because we invested early.
Politicians reacted angrily to the alleged assassination plans against the CEO. The news was symptomatic, "how Russia proceeds without regard for civilian casualties," said CDU defense expert Serap Güler to the "Bild" newspaper. "It doesn't matter what lines we draw to avoid becoming a war party, Putin obviously sees us as such."
Following the reported assassination plans against Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, Russia's attempts to infiltrate the armament industry have gained significant attention. Despite Rheinmetall supplying weapons and military vehicles to Ukraine, Russia allegedly made an attempt to assassinate Papperger, which was thwarted by the German government, according to CNN's report. This incident highlights the political tensions surrounding the defense industry and Russia's alleged attempts to undermine it.
