European defence executives step up security over Russian plots

European defence executives have tightened personal security after spy agencies warned that Russia is stepping up plots to kill industry leaders.

Officials from five European intelligence agencies said the Kremlin had ordered a wider campaign of sabotage and “hybrid” operations across Europe. According to media reports, the goal is to sap European backing for Kyiv over the next few months.

According to the officials, attacks on civilians, once seen as off-limits even for Russian spy services, now form a bigger part of those plans. “The threat level in Europe has increased,” a senior European intelligence official said. The danger, the official added, “concerns both property and people.”

European defence executives at smaller firms targeted

Those warnings reach well beyond the largest arms makers, intelligence officials said. In fact, Russian agents are also watching the bosses of smaller companies, especially firms that build drones or drone parts, the officials said.

Several defence executives, speaking anonymously, said they had increased close protection over the last six months. In most cases, state security services had advised them to do so. Others said they hire extra guards only when they travel abroad.

In Germany, the domestic intelligence agency BfV has stepped up its contact with staff and managers at defence firms. Among other steps, it has advised them to hire private bodyguards.

Speaking to German lawmakers on Monday, BfV chief Sinan Selen said Moscow was deliberately planning violence against individuals. He added that Russia kept changing its targets, methods and agents. Those agents now include organised crime groups.

How the Russian plots work

Western intelligence sources said the GRU, Russia’s military spy agency, now works closely with criminal gangs. It also spreads scouting, logistics, planning and execution across separate cells. That replaces reliance on lone agents hired online for cash.

In some cases, officials said, police spotted and stopped planned operations in time. In others, they recorded suspicious activity, such as people watching the daily routines of specific individuals at home and at work.

Still, killings do not have to take place for the campaign to work, the officials said. “The main goal from the Russian perspective is still psychological,” one of them explained.

By making people feel like targets, Moscow hopes they will “think twice before doing business with Ukraine,” the official added. Even so, one official said much of the Russian activity looked clumsy and was simple to thwart.

Rising costs for European defence executives

The threat also came with a price. Industry figures warned that paying for tight security for staff and factories could become a heavy burden, especially for start-ups.

European defence executives have faced such threats before. In July 2024, American and German spy agencies exposed an alleged Russian plot against Armin Papperger, head of German arms maker Rheinmetall. Reports at the time said Russian agents had considered a high-profile assassination. Since then, he has had round-the-clock protection.

For now, the warnings show that European defence executives, and not only factories and property, have become targets.