Russian drone factory chief wounded in car blast: State media

Moscow - The CEO of a Russian drone factory has been seriously wounded in a "car explosion", Russian state media reported Wednesday, in what appeared to be a second assassination attempt on a Russian defence official in days.

Vladimir Tkachuk, 35, is head of Yekaterinburg-based drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod.

Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported that his Mercedes exploded in the village of Bolshoy Istok, just outside Yekaterinburg.


The circumstances of the incident and when it took place were not immediately clear.

"Vladimir Tkachuk was injured in a car explosion. He is in intensive care in serious condition, and doctors are fighting for his life," Russia's TASS news agency quoted a source in emergency services as saying.

Images published on Russian social media channels purported to show the burned out chassis of Tkachuk's car, surrounded by charred debris.

Uraldronzavod is most famous for producing the "Upyr" family of first-person-view (FPV) drones that Russia uses on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Tkachuk, who founded the firm in 2023, has been pictured showcasing his drones to President Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv has targeted a range of Russian defence and military figures since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Last week, the director and founder of a different Russian drone manufacturer was wounded in a shooting, in what prosecutors described as an "attempted murder".

Ukraine made no immediate comment on this latest attack.