Washington [US], July 11 (HBTV): US intelligence earlier this year claimed to have uncovered a chilling plan by Russia to assassinate the chief executive of a prominent German arms manufacturer actively supporting Ukraine with artillery shells and military vehicles, CNN reported, citing, multiple US and Western officials familiar with the incident.   

The plot was part of a broader scheme targeting defense industry executives across Europe, who are allegedly aiding Ukraine's war efforts. Among these targets, the plan to eliminate Armin Papperger, the head of the German arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, stood out as the most developed. 

Upon learning of this threat, US officials promptly alerted their German counterparts, enabling German security services to intervene and safeguard Papperger, thereby thwarting the assassination plot. A senior German government official confirmed that Berlin had been warned by the US regarding the imminent danger to Papperger's life, CNN said. 

For more than six months, Russia has been conducting a sophisticated sabotage campaign throughout Europe, primarily through proxy agents. This campaign has included everything from arson attacks on warehouses holding supplies destined for Ukraine to acts of vandalism aimed at eroding public support for Kyiv, as reported by CNN.

The revelation that Russia was willing to resort to assassinations of private individuals underscored the extent of Moscow's commitment to a covert shadow war across the West. 

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.