Vladimir Tkachuk, the 35-year-old chief executive of Uraldronzavod, a Russian company manufacturing FPV attack drones for the war in Ukraine, is in critical condition in intensive care after a car bomb explosion near Yekaterinburg. The blast occurred in the settlement of Bolshoy Istok, just outside the city in Sverdlovsk region, when an explosive device detonated beneath his Mercedes-Benz.
Driver killed, criminal case opened
Local reports indicate the explosion left Tkachuk in a critical state, with doctors battling to save his life. His driver and bodyguard was killed at the scene. Investigators have opened a criminal case on charges of attempted murder by a method dangerous to the public. Russian law enforcement has not issued an official statement, but emergency services sources confirmed the details of the attack and Tkachuk's transfer to intensive care.
Background of the drone manufacturer
Tkachuk's firm produces the Upyr family of first-person-view drones, which Russian forces have used extensively since 2023 to strike Ukrainian armoured vehicles and positions. He founded the company that year and has previously met President Vladimir Putin to discuss drone development. He also runs a prominent pro-war Telegram channel with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Context of drone attacks
The attack comes amid heightened tensions over Russia's use of FPV drones. Only yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a distressing video showing what he described as a Russian "safari" attack on a civilian in Kherson. Footage captured an FPV drone hunting a 52-year-old street vegetable vendor named Yuriy as he set out his crates beside a white van. The drone pursued him around the vehicle before diving and detonating. Yuriy survived with multiple shrapnel wounds, concussion and blast trauma, but the clip drew widespread condemnation as an example of deliberate targeting of non-combatants.
Ukrainian accusations
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russian operators of conducting such "human safari" missions in frontline areas to terrorise residents. Mr Zelensky said the world must see the evidence of soldiers taking pleasure in tormenting civilians. The vendor later spoke from a hospital bed, recounting how he and his wife heard the distinctive buzzing overhead before the chase began.
Impact and unanswered questions
Tkachuk's injury marks another apparent strike against a figure linked to Russia's expanding drone industry. His Upyr drones are among the systems that have proliferated on the battlefield, offering low-cost, high-precision strikes that have reshaped tactics for both sides. The car bombing near Yekaterinburg, far from the front lines, raises questions about internal security and possible retaliation against key personnel in the military-industrial sector. No group has claimed responsibility. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident. Russian media circulated images of the burnt-out vehicle and bloodstains at the scene, underscoring the force of the blast.
The dual images — a drone chief critically wounded by a bomb under his car, and the previous day's footage of a civilian hunted through a market by an FPV drone — underline the escalating role of these cheap, lethal systems in the conflict. As Russia continues to scale up production, such attacks on manufacturers and the documented targeting of civilians highlight the deepening human cost on both sides of the drone war.
