European intelligence officials warn Russia is intensifying plots against defense executives, prompting firms, including drone makers, to boost security

Russia is intensifying efforts to target executives at European defense companies, including drone manufacturers, according to the Financial Times, which cited officials from five European intelligence agencies. The warnings have prompted companies to strengthen personal protection, adding security costs as Moscow seeks to weaken support for Ukraine and pressure individuals to reconsider commercial ties with Kyiv, the officials said.

The officials attributed much of the activity to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, which they said is increasingly working with cross-border criminal networks for surveillance, logistics and planning. They also described attacks on civilians—previously treated as taboo by Russian intelligence—as an increasingly prominent part of Moscow’s wider sabotage and hybrid operations across Europe amid a battlefield stalemate in Ukraine.

European security services have intercepted and disrupted several active plots, but officials said the breadth of the threat makes it harder to distinguish hostile activity from ordinary behavior. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, has stepped up contact with defense-industry employees and recommended private protection teams. BfV chief Sinan Selen told lawmakers that Russia is deliberately planning acts of violence through state-controlled actors.

The added security measures are placing a financial strain on smaller companies and start-ups, which may find them harder to afford.

In July 2024, U.S. officials said intelligence agencies had uncovered a Russian plot against Armin Papperger, chief executive of German arms maker Rheinmetall, which supplies weapons to Ukraine.