German authorities are investigating what they believe was a cache of weapons assembled for carrying out contract killings on behalf of Russian interests, according to recent reports and government statements.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that federal prosecutors are pursuing a suspect held in Romania on suspicion of espionage and preparation of serious violence against the state. While Dobrindt stopped short of confirming Russian involvement directly, he stated he could not exclude the possibility that foreign powers were involved in the scheme. German media outlets including Süddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcasters NDR and WDR have reported that the weapons were intended to facilitate targeted killings commissioned by Moscow.
The stash was discovered in wooded areas on the outskirts of Berlin after Germany’s domestic intelligence agency identified a possible weapons cache the previous October. Security officials working with Berlin State police located two handguns and ammunition in the location. After rendering the weapons inoperable, authorities maintained surveillance of the site for an extended period but observed no attempts to retrieve the materials.
Dobrindt characterized the investigation as evidence of elevated national security threats and noted that prosecutors were examining a suspect in Romania linked to planned parcel bomb attacks in that country. The suspect was described as a low-level operative, and Dobrindt declined to identify his nationality. He indicated that several comparable operatives had been detained during the year, including an individual from Kazakhstan.
The investigation adds to a pattern of alleged Russian operations targeting Germany. Past incidents included a 2024 CNN report of alleged Russian plots against Rheinmetall’s chief executive Armin Papperger, and a 2021 murder conviction of Russian national Vadim Krasikov in Berlin, which a German court determined was ordered by Moscow. Krasikov was subsequently released through a prisoner exchange.
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