Vladimir Tkachuk, head of Russian drone maker Uraldronzavod, critically injured in car explosion near Yekaterinburg
On 5 August 2026 a car carrying Vladimir Tkachuk, director of the Russian drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, exploded in the village of Bolshoy Istok on the outskirts of Yekaterinburg. The blast killed the driver and left Tkachuk seriously wounded. He was taken to a hospital in intensive care, where doctors said they are fighting to keep him alive.
Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation, treating the incident as an attempted assassination. Uraldronzavod, which produces the Upyr first‑person‑view (FPV) drones used by the Russian army in Ukraine, is already under European and U.S. sanctions for its role in the war. The attack comes a week after a separate attempted killing of a drone‑designer in Tula and follows a series of large‑scale Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian cities.
No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, and the exact mechanism of the device placed under Tkachuk’s Mercedes has not been disclosed. The incident is being closely watched because the factory supplies a key component of Russia’s unmanned‑air‑system capability.
Entities: Bolshoy Istok · European Union · FPV Upyr drone · Russia · Russian military · Upyr FPV drone · Upyr drone · Uraldrone · Uraldronzavod · Vladimir Tkachuk · Vlanimir Tkatsuk · Yekaterinburg
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 11 SOURCES] The incident took place on 5 August 2026. (multiple sources)
- [● 10 SOURCES] The explosion is being investigated as an attempted assassination. (multiple sources)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The explosion occurred in Bolshoy Istok, a village near Yekaterinburg. (multiple sources)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Vladimir Tkachuk was injured in a car explosion. (multiple sources)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Uraldronzavod is under European and U.S. sanctions. (multiple sources)
- [● 11 SOURCES] The driver of the car was killed in the explosion. (multiple sources)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Uraldronzavod manufactures Upyr FPV drones used by the Russian military in Ukraine. (multiple sources)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Vladimir Tkachuk is in intensive care in serious condition. (multiple sources)