Russian Drone Maker Critically Injured in Car Explosion

Vladimir Tkatchouk, the director of a Russian company manufacturing drones used in the Ukraine conflict, has been critically injured in a car explosion near Yekaterinburg. Tkatchouk, who heads UralDronzavod, is currently in intensive care, with doctors fighting for his life, according to a source cited by the Russian state agency Tass.

The circumstances surrounding the explosion remain unclear, but a criminal investigation for attempted murder has been launched. Images circulating on social media, unverified by AFP, show a burnt-out car amidst charred debris. UralDronzavod, which produces the FPV Upyr drone utilized against Ukrainian forces, has been placed under European and U.S. sanctions for its support of the Russian offensive.

This incident follows another attack last week where another Russian entrepreneur involved in drone production for the war effort, Andrey Cherezov, was shot and wounded in Tula. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several assassinations and attempted assassinations, some claimed by Kyiv, have targeted Russian officials and military figures.