Kremlin responds to CNN claim of assassination plot

A report suggesting that Moscow had planned to kill Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger is untrue, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

Claims by CNN that Russia plotted to assassinate the CEO of Germany’s Rheinmetall arms manufacturer, Armin Papperger, are based on anonymous sources and lack any evidence, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. The US media outlet had claimed that American intelligence services tipped off their German colleagues, thwarting the supposed plot.

Rheinmetall has emerged as a major provider of weaponry for Kiev since hostilities between Ukraine and Russia broke out in February 2022. The hardware shipped to the Eastern European nation has included Leopard-type tanks. Last month, the German government awarded an €8.5 billion contract to the arms manufacturer for the production of 155mm artillery shells, which are in high demand in Ukraine. The company is also preparing to open an armored vehicle plant in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov said that “it is very hard for us to comment on reports from various media outlets that don’t contain any serious argumentation whatsoever, and are based on some anonymous sources.”

“It is being delivered very much in the style of yet more fakes, so you can’t take such reports seriously,” the Kremlin spokesperson added.

Papperger himself told the Financial Times on Friday that, while he could not confirm details described in the report, he was inclined to believe it.

“I think CNN is not just looking up at the sky [and making this up],” the Rheinmetall CEO insisted.

The US media outlet made the allegation on Thursday, claiming that “US intelligence discovered earlier this year that the Russian government planned to assassinate” Papperger. Citing five unnamed US and Western officials, CNN went on to allege that Moscow had been plotting to kill several other defense industry executives across Europe.

According to CNN, US intelligence officials notified their German colleagues once they learned of the purported plan. German operatives managed to foil the alleged plot, the report claimed.

Several European nations have recently accused Russia of conducting a sabotage campaign across the continent to erode support for Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock alleged that Moscow was “waging a hybrid war of aggression” on European soil.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western weapons supplies to Ukraine, saying they will only prolong the conflict without changing the ultimate outcome.