Factory Director Behind Russian Military Drones Seriously Injured in Car Explosion

On Wednesday, news outlets reported that the director of a factory supplying drones to the Russian military was seriously injured in a car explosion. This incident marks the second attack on Russian drone makers within a week.

The state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti reported that Vladimir Tkachuk was hospitalized in critical condition after the explosion late Tuesday in Bolshoy Istok, near Yekaterinburg, located about 870 miles east of Moscow. The vehicle’s driver was killed in the explosion, according to the Reuters news agency.

Visuals shared on Russian social media allegedly depict the charred remains of Tkachuk’s Mercedes surrounded by debris. However, Tass and RIA Novosti have yet to disclose further details about the explosion or identify any possible perpetrators. Authorities have not provided immediate comments.

Tkachuk managed the Uraldronzavod factory, which produces Upyr drones, a name derived from the Russian word for “Ghoul.” Tkachuk was a small-scale entrepreneur who assembled a team of engineers to develop the Upyr drone and initiated production near Yekaterinburg, an industrial hub in the Ural Mountains and Russia’s fourth-largest city. The Upyr drone, recognized for its cost-effectiveness and protective capabilities against jamming, has been commended by troops. Tkachuk founded the company in 2023 and has been photographed displaying his drones to President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, a different Russian drone manufacturer’s director was injured in a shooting, described by prosecutors as an “attempted murder.” Ukraine has yet to comment on this latest attack.

The car explosion came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video claiming to show a civilian being pursued and attacked by a Russian drone in Kherson. In a social media post, Zelenskyy stated that the footage demonstrates Russian soldiers “taking pleasure in killing and abusing civilians.”

Russian officials have attributed bombings and attacks on senior military officials to Kyiv following Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine in February 2022. The explosion followed a deadly bombing on Saturday at a high-end Moscow restaurant. The Russian Embassy in Rome accused Ukraine of attempting to intimidate the Italian community in Russia with the attack, which killed five and injured 19. The Russian Foreign Ministry shared the embassy’s statement without additional comment, and Russia’s security agencies have not identified any suspects.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the restaurant bombing as a “brutal terrorist act” but did not specify the responsible party. Russian media outlets claimed the bombing targeted a Russian general celebrating his birthday at the restaurant, possibly Col.-Gen. Alexander Chaiko, who led an unsuccessful attempt to capture Kyiv in 2022 and was recently appointed head of Russia’s aerospace forces. These claims remain unverified.