US, Germany Foil Russian Plot to Assassinate Weapons Supplier for Ukraine

U.S. and European officials thwarted Russian plots to, among other things, assassinate the CEO of a major weapons supplier for Ukraine, anonymous Western officials told several media outlets. 

The Details: Descriptions of the story varied but did not appear to disagree. According to the reports, American intelligence agencies uncovered the plot to engage in “assassinations, arson and other sabotage in Europe” earlier this year. While sabotage attempts have reportedly been common, an alleged Russian plot to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, represented a significant escalation. The U.S. warned Germany, and the countries disrupted the plot. 

For Context: NATO concluded a summit in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, after which U.S. President Joe Biden touted his support for European alliances in a widely-publicized press conference. 

How the Media Covered It: Outlets directly citing officials in original coverage of the story included the Associated Press (Lean Left bias), The New York Times (Lean Left bias), The Wall Street Journal (Center bias), The Washington Post (Lean Left bias), Fox News (Right bias), NBC News (Lean Left bias), the Financial Times (Center bias), and CNN (Lean Left bias), which several sources said first reported the story. Others, like Reuters (Center bias) and the New York Post (Lean Right bias) reported on other outlets’ reports. News coverage did not appear to display clear partisan divides, although one Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) op-ed criticized the German chancellor’s response. Fox News referenced reports from Politico (Lean Left bias) and The Guardian (Lean Left bias) in its coverage.