The director of a Russian drone factory was badly wounded and his driver was killed in a car-bombing that rocked a town hundreds of miles from Moscow earlier this week, according to local news reports.
Vladimir Tkachuk, founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, one of the many drone companies founded in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was hospitalized after the blast.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the attack.
The Uraldronzvod factory makes Upyr — Russian for Ghoul — an unmanned aerial vehicle, a cheap and simple first-person view drone. Mr. Tkachuk and Upyr were publicly celebrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September at a display of military drones in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
Mr. Tkachuk, an ardent supporter of the Kremlin’s military action in Ukraine, also has run the “Obsessed With War” channel that has over 650,000 followers on the Telegram messaging app. A message posted on the channel Wednesday said he was in emergency care in stable condition after an attempt on his life.
The car bombing, which reportedly occurred late Tuesday night, marked the second explosion inside Russian territory in the past week.
An explosion on Saturday at an upscale Moscow restaurant killed five and injured 19. The restaurant sits in Kudrinskaya Square and is reported to be a popular location for Russian government officials.
Several Russian media outlets claimed Saturday’s bombing targeted a Russian general who was celebrating his birthday at the restaurant.
Some claimed the attack targeted Russian Army Gen. Alexander Chaiko, who led the Russian troops that made a botched attempt to storm the Ukrainian capital in 2022 and recently was appointed the chief of Russia’s aerospace forces.
The Washington Times has not independently verified the claims.
Gen. Chaiko was appointed to lead the Russian Aerospace Forces back in May, a move that some analysts saw as an unusual development that may have had more to do with his ties to the Kremlin than his military performance.
Gen. Chaiko was present at the restaurant bombing as part of a birthday-and-promotion party, according to Russian media and Telegram channels. The guest list reportedly included officers from Russian intelligence services, lawmakers, and other officials.
No one has claimed responsibility for either of the recent attacks, although members of the Russian government and the mayor of Moscow have blamed Ukraine for the restaurant bombing.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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