Russia Escalates Assassination Plots Against European Defense Executives

Five European intelligence agencies have told the Financial Times that Russia is intensifying plans to assassinate executives in the European defense industry, including leaders of small drone manufacturers supporting Ukraine. The Kremlin has reportedly ordered an expansion of sabotage and hybrid operations to weaken Western backing for Kyiv in the coming months.

Targets now extend beyond major arms groups to small and medium-sized enterprises producing drones and components, where security costs impose a heavy burden. Several executives said they have strengthened personal protection over the past six months on government advice, while others take precautions only when traveling abroad.

“Russia is deliberately planning acts of violence against individuals through state or state-controlled actors.”

In Germany, the domestic intelligence agency BfV has increased contact with defense company staff and recommended private security details. BfV chief Sinan Selen warned that Russia is deliberately planning violence against individuals using state or state-controlled actors, with growing involvement of organized crime networks.

Russian military intelligence (GRU) is identified as the primary actor, shifting from lone online recruits to structured cells that divide surveillance, logistics, and execution. A 2024 plot to kill Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, foiled by U.S. intelligence, is now seen as part of a broader pattern rather than an anomaly.

Stefan Thumann, founder of Bavarian drone supplier Donaustahl, has lived under continuous protection since December after German authorities warned of a Russian plot to eliminate him. Two suspects, a Ukrainian and a Romanian, were arrested in March for espionage related to surveillance of his home.