German law enforcement authorities have thwarted a covert Russian intelligence operation targeting executives of domestic defense firms supplying military hardware to Ukraine, with Stefan Thumann, an executive at drone startup Donaustahl, identified as a primary target.
The plot was uncovered following an investigation detailed in a report by Die Zeit.
Surveillance and operational preparations against Thumann reportedly began in December 2025, when a recruited agent photographed the surroundings of his private residence in Straßkirchen, Bavaria. Russian intelligence targeted Donaustahl due to its manufacturing and supply of reconnaissance uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and MAUS FPV (first-person view) attack drones to Ukrainian forces.
Russian intelligence services recruited operatives via online platforms to coordinate the logistics of the hit. Initial reconnaissance was conducted by an operative identified as Sergei N. Following his flight abroad, intelligence-gathering duties were handed over to a Romanian national, Alla S.
Both operatives were apprehended in March 2026—one in Spain and the other in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the wake of the operation, Thumann has canceled all scheduled public appearances and remains under round-the-clock protective security.
Security agencies suspect Moscow may have been planning additional kinetic actions against high-ranking defense industry leaders in Bavaria. These concerns intensified after border officials discovered a cache of explosives on June 11 inside a truck traveling from the Serbian-Hungarian border toward Germany.
Serbian authorities arrested two suspects, Danilo B. and Slobodan D., in connection with the transport. Digital forensics on their mobile devices revealed direct communication channels with Russian intelligence officers.
Donaustahl received official approval from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs in July 2024 to produce and export its MAUS drone systems. The company previously confirmed that these specialized strike platforms were slated for delivery to Ukraine’s Kraken special unit.
