Russia Plots Assassinations of European Arms Executives
European intelligence agencies warned defense industry executives that Russia has expanded covert plots to assassinate corporate leaders and sabotage military production. Security services in Germany and allied nations advised executives – particularly those manufacturing drones – to reinforce private protection details as the GRU increasingly leverages organized crime networks for surveillance…
Russian intelligence agencies are intensifying plots to assassinate European defense executives in order to disrupt military supplies to Ukraine, according to warnings from European intelligence agencies cited by the Kyiv Post. This shift in strategy, which previously avoided targeting civilians, now includes assassinations of senior defense industry leaders and executives from smaller enterprises specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles and drone components.
The Kremlin has reportedly ordered an expansion of hybrid operations and kinetic sabotage across Europe to weaken Western support for Ukraine. European intelligence agencies have advised defense executives to enhance their personal security protocols, with some contracting private close-protection details, especially during international travel.
Russian case officers are increasingly leveraging transnational organized crime networks to execute these operations, rather than relying solely on low-level individuals recruited through online platforms. The primary goal of the Russian campaign, intelligence officials say, is psychological coercion, with the mere threat of assassination serving to intimidate defense industry leaders and discourage business dealings with Ukraine.
Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
