The head of a Russian drone manufacturer was seriously wounded in a car explosion, Russian media reported Wednesday, in what appears to be the second attempted assassination of a defense executive in Russia over the past week.
Vladimir Tkachuk is the founder and CEO of the Yekaterinburg-based firm Uraldronzavod. The company is under U.S. and EU sanctions for producing the Upyr drone, which is widely used in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Tkachuk also runs a popular pro-war Telegram channel, Povornutye Na Voyne, which confirmed that an “assassination attempt” had taken place following news reports of the car explosion. “He’s currently in intensive care and in stable condition,” the channel added.
However, sources told the state-run news agency TASS that Tkachuk was in critical condition and that doctors were “fighting for his life.”
Eyewitnesses told local media they heard a loud explosion and saw flames engulf Tkachuk’s Mercedes in Bolshoy Istok, a village just outside Yekaterinburg. Anonymous sources told the newspaper Kommersant that the vehicle’s driver was killed in the blast.
The explosion appears to have occurred on Tuesday, though media reports only emerged on Wednesday afternoon.
Law enforcement authorities launched a murder investigation but have otherwise not publicly commented on the incident.
Tkachuk, who founded Uraldronzavod in 2023, has previously been pictured showcasing his drones to President Vladimir Putin.
The car explosion follows an incident last week in which the founder and CEO of a different Russian drone manufacturer was wounded in a shooting that prosecutors have described as “attempted murder.”
