Stefan Tuman, founder of German defense startup Donaustahl, says Russian intelligence operatives may be plotting to kill him. He revealed the threat during a joint interview with RTL television and Stern magazine, according to UNN.
German security officials first alerted Tuman to the danger in late 2025. The warning arrived just before Christmas, informing him that Russian spy agencies had prepared an operation targeting him directly.
“I am engaged in a duel with Russian military intelligence for my life,” Tuman said.
The gravity of the situation has forced him underground. He now changes locations frequently and avoids any predictable routine. His life, by his own account, has shrunk to a single room.
“I sleep in my office, next to the computer. I wake up, work, and go to bed,” he explained.
Tuman admitted he buries himself in work partly to escape thinking about the danger surrounding him. Constant activity keeps his mind occupied.
The threat against Tuman first came to public attention on August 5, when German newspaper Die Zeit published an investigation detailing the alleged assassination plot.
Donaustahl develops military technologies for the German defense sector. Meanwhile, European intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Russia has intensified sabotage and espionage operations across the continent since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Tuman now lives as a target, moving between safe locations while continuing to run a company that builds weapons systems for a nation on high alert.
