EVIL Putin hatched a plan to assassinate a German arms boss supplying to Ukraine but it thwarted when the US found out.
Earlier this year, U.S. Intelligence discovered Russia‘s cunning plans to kill Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger in a depraved act of revenge brought on by his unwavering support of Ukraine.
AFPPutin orchestrated an evil plan to assassinate those who directly supply arms to Ukraine[/caption]
GettyArmin Papperger, chief executive officer of Rheinmetall was subject to a vicious plot by the Kremlin[/caption]
ReutersTank gun barrels and towers for Leopard 2 tanks are pictured at Rheinmetall[/caption]
Papperger’s arms manufacturer, in Dusseldorf, has been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine, as reported by CNN, who cited five unidentified U.S. and Western officials as sources.
They said the plot to kill Papperger was just one of a series of Russian government plans to undermine the west – with Putin planning to slaughter several pro-Ukraine defence industry executives across Europe.
The United States then informed Germany of the plans, and German security services were able to protect Papperger.
Rheinmetall said in a statement that “necessary measures are always taken” in regular consultation with security authorities.
The US’ National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrienne Watson said: “Russia’s intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously and have been intently focused on over the past few months.
“The United States has been discussing this issue with our NATO Allies, and we are actively working together to expose and disrupt these activities.
“We have also been clear that Russia’s actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine.”
The company is one of the world’s biggest producers of artillery and tank shells.
It began ramping up production after Russia‘s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of current president Vladimir Putin, previously said Russia would retaliate by hitting any facility Rheinmetall set up in Ukraine.
The comments came after Rheinmetall said in May 2023 it had set up a joint venture with Ukrainian state-owned conglomerate Ukroboronprom to build and repair tanks in Ukraine.
In February, Rheinmetall announced that it also planned to open up to four ammunition factories in Ukraine.
They will also be used to manufacture gunpowder, air-defence systems and various other military vehicles.
Rheinmetall also intend to build a facility in Lithuania, which shares a border with Russia and Belarus.
A senior NATO official told CNN: “We’re seeing sabotage, we’re seeing assassination plots, we’re seeing arson.
“We’re seeing things that have a cost in human lives. I believe very much that we’re seeing a campaign of covert sabotage activities from Russia that have strategic consequences.”
In May, Papperger – who has been with Rheinmetall for 34 years, including more than 11 years as CEO – made headlines when his garden house was set on fire by far-left activists, according to Bild.
At the current NATO summit in Washington, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia was waging a hybrid war of aggression, including cyber attacks and sabotage of infrastructure.
She said: “This underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive.”
A spokesperson for Germany‘s Interior Ministry declined to comment on the groundbreaking CNN report, adding the government was generally taking the threats posed by the Russian regime very seriously.
“Our security authorities are very vigilant and act accordingly, in close cooperation with our international partners.
“The Federal Government will not be intimidated by the Russian threats.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to prevent possible threats in Germany.”
AFPGerman weapons producer and automotive supplier Rheinmetall is in Dusseldorf[/caption]
GettyGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) with CEO of Rheinmetall Armin Papperger (centre) and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (right) with artillery ammunition[/caption]
Brutal Russian assasinations
VLADIMIR Putin’s thirst for power knows no bounds, and his dark history is littered with the bodies of his foes.
Putin’s most formidable opponent Alexei Navalny, 47, died just last month in the strict-regime Polar Wolf jail in the Russian Arctic while serving a 19-year sentence on trumped-up “extremism” charges.
It was alleged his body was found covered in bruises as Western leaders and members of Navalny’s camp claimed he was “murdered” on the direct orders of Putin – an accusation the Kremlin rejects.
Endlessly vocal Putin critic and the head of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, died in August last year in a fireball private jet crash, according to Russia’s investigative committee.
He was a close confidant of Putin before he launched a rebellion in June last year, vowing to “punish” Russia for a deadly missile attack on one of his training camps in eastern Ukraine.
In 2018, former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in his adopted hometown of Salisbury, along with his daughter Yulia.
They were discovered unconscious on a bench in the Wiltshire city and spent weeks critically ill in hospital but miraculously survived.
Another rival of the Russian despot, Boris Nemtsov, was gunned down in a gangland-style killing on a bridge near the Kremlin in 2015 when he was 55.
The reformist regional governor and deputy prime minister had helped lead protests against Putin’s return to the presidency from prime ministership in 2012 and was staunchly opposed to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014.