On July 11, 2024, Western intelligence agencies exposed a Russian assassination plot targeting German defense company Rheinmetall’s CEO Armin Papperger after the US informed Germany of the imminent threat. Germany is the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion and Rheinmetall plays a significant role in that military support. The German weapons’ manufacturer notably provides Leopard 1 main battle tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and 155mm artillery shells to Kyiv. A month before the assassination attempt, it had opened an armored vehicle maintenance facility in the Western part of Ukraine. In January 2025, NATO’s deputy assistant Secretary-General for innovation, hybrid and cyber, James Appathurai, implied that the assassination attempt was only one of several such plots planned by Russia in countries supporting Ukraine.