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. German security services had reportedly received warnings about a threat to the executive’s life as early as late 2025. According to Die Zeit, a later analysis of the data revealed possible links to Russian intelligence services. 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.