After the recent arrest of suspected Russian spies, Stephan Kramer, president of the Thuringian domestic‑security agency, sees a heightened threat to executives in the defence industry. “Risk tolerance and aggression have risen sharply over the last months-from intimidation and compromise to concrete actions against the lives of defence managers as part of hybrid attacks” Kramer told “Handelsblatt”.
The federal prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that two people had been detained for allegedly spying for a Russian intelligence service. The suspects are said to have surveilled a businessman whose company, headquartered in Bavaria, supplies drone components to Ukraine.
Kramer explained that defence firms and their managers-particularly those backing Ukraine-are viewed by Russia as “legitimate targets” a perception that is not new. This scenario is already factored into German security assessments and warnings, and the threat extends to personal associates as well.
He also referred to previous tactics of Russian agents, noting that lethal operations are part of a long tradition of poison attacks by Russian intelligence. Such attacks have targeted opposition figures and former Russian servicemen, mainly in European exile over the past decades.
