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Vladimir Tkachuk, the director of a Russian factory that supplies drones to the military, was seriously injured after his car exploded near Yekaterinburg, Russian state media reported on Wednesday.
Tkachuk was hospitalised in critical condition after the blast late Tuesday in Bolshoy Istok, about 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) east of Moscow, according to TASS and RIA Novosti.
The reports did not provide details on the cause of the explosion or identify a suspected perpetrator.
Tkachuk heads Uraldronzavod, which produces the Upyr, or “Ghoul”, first-person-view drones for Russian forces. He assembled a team of engineers that developed the drone and organised its production near Yekaterinburg, a major industrial centre in the Ural Mountains.
The relatively cheap and simple Upyr drones have been praised by Russian troops for their resistance to electronic jamming.
Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out bombings and attacks targeting senior military officials since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The latest explosion came days after a deadly blast at an upscale Moscow restaurant. The Russian Embassy in Rome blamed Ukraine for the attack on the Balzi Rossi restaurant, saying five people were killed and 19 injured.
Russian security agencies have not identified any suspects in the restaurant bombing. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described it as a “brutal terrorist act”.
Several Russian media outlets reported that the bombing may have targeted a Russian general celebrating his birthday at the restaurant.
Some identified him as Colonel-General Alexander Chaiko, who commanded Russian forces during the failed attempt to capture Kyiv in 2022 and was recently appointed head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces.
