'Escalatory spiral of attrition: Drone technology allowing Ukraine to resist Russia asymmetrically'
Sharon Gaffney is pleased to welcome Peter Zalmayev, director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative. He rejects narratives that portray Moscow as only now "taking the gloves off," against Ukraine, arguing instead that Russia has consistently pursued maximalist objectives while adapting its tactics to battlefield realities. Although Ukrainian innovation, particularly in drone warfare, has…
Donaustahl, a prominent German drone manufacturer, faced a potential assassination threat against its CEO, Stefan Thumann, according to Russian intelligence services, as reported by Die Zeit on August 5. The warning of a credible threat to Thumann came from a foreign intelligence service in December 2025. In March, Der Spiegel disclosed the arrests of two suspects: Serhii N, a Ukrainian citizen, and Alla S, a Romanian citizen.
Both are accused of working for foreign intelligence and were detained in Spain and Germany, respectively. Prosecutors claim Serhii N. initiated reconnaissance activities on the drone company in December 2025, secretly photographing facilities. Alla S. is believed to have started surveillance of Thumann's residence in March 2026 to enable an attack.
German prosecutors allege that both suspects collaborated with foreign intelligence agencies. Thumann is now subject to heightened security measures. He has mentioned that he must decline participation in trade shows for "certain reasons" and expects to reconnect with the industry in alternative formats. The Thumann case is not an isolated incident, as security services caution that Germany is experiencing "a new level of escalation" from Russia.
The newspaper also mentioned that another defense company might be under investigation by Russian intelligence. This follows 2024 U.S. intelligence assessments that predicted the Russian government intended to murder the CEO of a major German defense firm supplying artillery shells and military equipment to Ukraine. CNN reported the target as Rheinmetall CEO, Armin Papperger.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
