Russian intelligence plots to kill head of German drone maker, Die Zeit reports

According to the report, the target of the Russian intelligence services was Stefan Thumann, the head of German drone manufacturer Donaustahl. German security services were able to prevent the assassination attempt thanks to intelligence provided by a foreign agency.

This spring, authorities arrested two suspects — a Ukrainian citizen identified as Serhii N. in Spain and a Romanian citizen identified as Alla S. in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Investigators found that between December 2025 and March 2026, the pair allegedly monitored Thumann, photographed his home and Donaustahl's headquarters, and gathered information about him online.

German security services had reportedly received warnings about a threat to the executive's life as early as late 2025. Serhii N. was detained at the time, but investigators were unable to analyze data from his mobile phones before his release due to time constraints.

According to Die Zeit, a later analysis of the data revealed possible links to Russian intelligence services. By then, the suspect had already left Germany and moved to Spain with his family.

Meanwhile, investigators say Alla S. continued to surveil Thumann. Both suspects were arrested in March 2026 during a coordinated operation.

Germany's federal prosecutor accused the pair of acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. Their lawyers declined to comment on the case.

Thumann is currently under enhanced security protection. In a post on LinkedIn, he said that, "for certain reasons," he would temporarily refrain from attending trade shows but promised to return to work in other formats soon.

In June, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies also foiled an assassination plot targeting a senior official of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR). According to RBC-Ukraine's sources, the intended target was Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for the agency.

Investigators said Russian intelligence services had allegedly promised the would-be attacker $100,000 to carry out the killing and planned to use an FPV drone in the attack. The suspect was detained before the plot could be executed.