NATO confirms Russia's attempt to assassinate Rheinmetall's CEO

A senior NATO official has confirmed that the Russians had a target to kill Armin Papperger. He is the head of the German company Rheinmetall, which, among other things, manufactures and repairs Leopard tanks.

This was reported by Politico on Tuesday, January 28.

Who foiled Russia's plans to kill Papperger?

According to the publication, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber James Appathurai said that Russia intended to assassinate defense industry leaders across Europe, in particular, Armin Papperger.

The plot was uncovered by U.S. and German intelligence. The media talked about Russia's intentions back in July 2024. But NATO officially confirmed this information for the first time only now.

"We have seen cases of sabotage that have taken place in NATO countries over the past few years, by which I mean train derailments, arson attacks, attacks on politicians' property, plots to assassinate industry leaders, the head of Rheinmetall," Appathurai was quoted as saying.

He added that Russia is doing everything to create anxiety and undermine support for Ukraine. That is why, Appathurai is convinced, it is time for Europe to move to a "wartime mindset".

As a reminder, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a statement about NATO's defense spending. He is convinced that funding needs to be urgently increased.

Recently, an underwater fiber-optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged, with media reports suggesting it was sabotage. NATO has deployed patrol ships to the area and launched an investigation.