The CEO of a German defence startup supplying attack drones to Ukraine has been living in hiding for months after German officials warned him of a planned assassination by Russian intelligence, according to reports published Tuesday.
Stefan Thumann, head of Donaustahl, told broadcaster RTL and magazine Stern in a joint interview that German officials alerted him in late 2025 to a plot by Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU. Since then, the 39-year-old has been effectively living underground with 24-hour personal security, constantly changing locations.
Agents Arrested, Threat Persists
“I am fighting a duel with the Russian military intelligence service for my life,” Thumann said. “Constantly changing locations, 24-hour personal security, my private life has ceased to exist.” He described drawing up his will and filling out an organ donor card after learning of the plot, saying these were “things you normally do not really have on your radar at my age.”
German prosecutors announced in March the arrest of two so-called “disposable agents” who allegedly spied on the CEO to prepare the assassination bid. These recruits are typically paid relatively small sums and given minimal training. However, RTL cited a German lawmaker who said the plans targeting Thumann were well advanced and involved the use of a nerve agent, suggesting the threat may not be over.
Part of a Pattern of Russian Targeting
Donaustahl is among a growing crop of German defence tech startups that have risen to prominence by developing high-tech drones central to the Ukraine conflict. The company produces attack and reconnaissance drones as well as military drone software. Thumann described the war in Ukraine as his “very own personal war.”
The plot mirrors a similar incident in 2024, when the United States foiled a Russian scheme to assassinate Armin Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest defence company and a major supplier of ammunition and weaponry to Ukraine. That plot was first reported by CNN and confirmed by German officials.
German lawmakers reacted with alarm to the reports. Michael Roth, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bild that Vladimir Putin was waging a “war of extermination not only against Ukraine, but against its supporters and our values.” Defence committee head Marcus Faber added that if Russian intelligence involvement is confirmed, “the expulsion of diplomats must follow and, if necessary, international arrest warrants must be issued.”
Sources: AFP; RTL/Stern; BBC; The Local Germany
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