Executives of British defense companies supplying weapons to Ukraine have been warned of the growing risk of being targeted by Russian espionage and assassination plots, The Mail on Sunday reported. The warnings were delivered during a summer roundtable organized by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that was attended by senior government officials and defense CEOs.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. While specific attendees were not named, the group reportedly included representatives from manufacturers supplying drones and weaponry to Kyiv. The security briefing followed the exposure of Russian assassination plots targeting European defense executives. Most notably, US and German intelligence thwarted a Russian plan to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which currently holds a £4.2 billion artillery shell contract for Ukraine. Elisabeth Braw, a security expert at the Atlantic Council think tank, told the publication that defense executives across the UK and Europe are increasingly concerned about their personal safety and the security of their facilities. She noted that Moscow has signaled that it considers anyone connected to the Western defense sector to be a legitimate target. Rising diplomatic tensions and military threats The domestic security warnings align with escalating military rhetoric from Moscow directed at the UK government. On Thursday, Russia threatened to strike British military installations following UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent visit to Kyiv.