A senior NATO official confirmed that Russia planned to kill Armin Papperger, the head of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall confirmed.
According to James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, the assassination, which was stopped by US and German intelligence, was part of Russia's plans to kill defense industry leaders in Europe.
This is the first time a senior official from NATO, Germany, or the United States has confirmed the plot to kill Papperger. Speculations about this had been widely circulated in the world media in July 2024.
“In recent years, we have witnessed sabotage events across NATO countries, which included derailing trains, setting fires, attacking politicians' properties, and plotting assassinations of industrial leaders. Other assassinations were also planned besides the Rheinmetall case,” said Appathurai at a European Parliament committee meeting on hybrid warfare.
According to Appathurai, Russians hire individuals for their plots through “criminal gangs or young people or migrants unaware of the ultimate goal” to carry out criminal activities online.
"Overall, they are crudely aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and causing panic," added the NATO official.
Western allies have been supporting Ukraine with arms for years, as it seeks to halt the ongoing large-scale aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Appathurai highlighted to the Members of the European Parliament Russia's strategic doctrine of achieving goals through political victory, "using all available means," including damaging infrastructure or political interference.
Appathurai stated that Europe needs to move away from its “boiling frog” mentality, echoing the thoughts of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in his speech last December that it is time to switch to a war-time mindset.
“The Secretary General in his first speech told us we need a war mentality, including that there's an ongoing and intensifying campaign of instability against all our countries. Sabotage is among them,” Appathurai said in an interview with Politico following the hearing.
Abdulloh Sayyid
