Director of Russian drone factory injured in car explosion, driver killed

The director of a Russian factory producing drones for the Russian military was seriously injured in a car explosion in the east of the country, while his driver was killed, Russian state news agencies reported. The explosion occurred about 870 miles east of Moscow, and Vladimir Tkachuk was hospitalized in critical condition. Tkachuk headed Uraldrone Zavod, a facility near the Ural mountain city of Yekaterinburg that produces first-person-view (FPV) drones known as Ober. The drones are used by Russian forces for their low cost and ability to operate in environments with heavy electronic jamming. Tkachuk had assembled an engineering team to develop the drones and oversaw their production. In September 2024, Tkachuk presented the designs at a military unmanned aerial vehicle exhibition in St. Petersburg attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the cause of the explosion, and investigators are examining whether it was a deliberate attack.