German defense entrepreneur Stefan Thumann argued sabotage operations carried out by Moscow against his country are an “act of war … controlled and coordinated here by the Russian armed forces.” Speaking exclusively with Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network in a podcast episode released Tuesday, Thumann rejected the “hybrid war” label used by EU leaders to describe the Kremlin’s campaign in Europe. The warning lands as Berlin hardens its stance on suspected Russian sabotage. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to blame Moscow for an attempted drone attack in Leipzig and unveil “extensive” sanctions, officials told POLITICO and WELT AM SONNTAG.
Thumann’s company, Donaustahl, supplies combat drones to Ukraine, according to the executive. He says he has been forced to live under round-the-clock protection after authorities uncovered an alleged Russian intelligence plan to poison him in 2025. Authorities warned him shortly before Christmas that he could be in danger.
And yes, it is very serious — your life is at risk,” he said they told him. Within days, a suspected low-level operative had been detained. Thumann said he had turned official addresses into surveillance-heavy “honeypots” — locations deliberately designed to lure hostile actors into a trap.
Thumann said he now lives at undisclosed locations with bodyguards, has not seen his family for months, and has prepared a will and advance health care directive in case he is killed. The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network is a multi-publication initiative publishing scoops, investigations, interviews, op-eds and analysis that reverberate across the world. It connects journalists from Axel Springer brands—including POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, and Onet— on major stories for an international audience.
Their ambitious reporting stretches across Axel Springer platforms: online, print, TV, and audio. Together, the outlets reach hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
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