Russia Allegedly Plotted to Kill This Arms Maker

American intelligence agencies may have saved the life of a German businessman who is high on Vladimir Putin's enemies list, according to multiple reports. The details:

• Who: Armin Papperger runs a company called Rheinmetall in Germany that is one of the biggest suppliers of military weaponry to Ukraine, reports the Washington Post.
• The plot: US intelligence agencies got wind of a Russian plot to kill the 61-year-old Papperger earlier this year and informed German authorities, who have taken steps to protect him, reports CNN. Russia's willingness to kill private citizens "underlined to Western officials just how far Moscow was willing to go in a parallel shadow war it is waging across the west," per the outlet, which was the first to report on the story.

• Pattern: The New York Times confirms the plot, adding that Russia this year has engineered a series of arsons attempting to disrupt the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The assassination plot, however, represents a "significant escalation."
• Official word: Russia dismisses the allegations, and US, NATO, and German officials will not address the specifics of the plot. However, a National Security Council spokeswoman spoke of the general threat: "Russia's intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously and have been intently focused on over the past few months," says Adrienne Watson. "We have also been clear that Russia's actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine."

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)