US and Germany foil Russian assassination plot

What happened

The U.S. and Germany have reportedly thwarted a Russian plot to kill the CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which has been producing shells and tanks for Ukraine.

Who said what

The plot to kill Armin Papperger ( pictured above ) was one of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe, according to five U.S. and Western officials who spoke anonymously to CNN .

Russian military intelligence has carried out a "series of arsons aimed at disrupting the supply of weapons and other materiel to Ukraine," said The New York Times . But the assassination plot was a significant escalation , officials said. "Russia's intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously," said U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement.

What next?

A senior NATO official told CNN that Russia's sabotage campaign was ramping up because Moscow sees a window of opportunity before additional Western munitions arrive on the battlefield in Ukraine. For Russia, this "is a prime time to target the West in these types of operations to try to undermine support and prevent the flow of weapons there," the unnamed official said.