Car Bomb Near Yekaterinburg Wounds Russian Drone Maker, Killing 1 Driver

3 articles · Updated · Detroit News · Aug 5

Vladimir Tkachuk, head of drone maker Uraldronzavod, was left in intensive care after an explosive device hidden under his Mercedes blew up near Yekaterinburg; his driver was killed at the scene.
Mash and TASS said the blast struck on Tuesday and destroyed the car, in what appeared to be the latest targeted attack on figures tied to Russia's war effort in Ukraine.
Tkachuk's company makes Vampire first-person drones used by Russian forces, and he had showcased the system to Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev while also running a pro-war fundraising Telegram channel.
The bombing was the second attack in a week on a Russian drone developer after Gadfly creator Andrei Cherezov was shot and wounded on July 30.
The attack surfaced just after Putin appointed a commander for Russia's new Unmanned Systems Forces, underscoring how central drones have become in the war's fifth year.