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Putin’s ‘Vampire’ Drone Boss Badly Injured in Car Explosion

Vladimir Tkachuk is the second drone developer targeted in less than a week.

A high-profile Russian defense executive is fighting for his life after a targeted car bombing.

The explosive device detonated beneath a Mercedes carrying Vladimir Tkachuk, the head of defense contractor Uraldronzavod, near the major Urals industrial hub of Yekaterinburg, roughly 870 miles east of Moscow.

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The powerful blast instantly killed Tkachuk’s driver, who also served as his bodyguard, while leaving the drone boss in grave condition. Emergency medical crews rushed Tkachuk to an intensive care unit, where doctors are currently battling to keep him alive following the late-night attack.

The brazen assassination attempt hits at the very core of Moscow’s military apparatus. Tkachuk’s company produces the low-cost “Vampire” or “Upyr” first-person view attack drones, which have become a cornerstone of Russian frontline strategy in Ukraine due to their resilience against electronic jamming.

Tkachuk, who also ran the pro-war Telegram channel “Obsessed with War” to raise funds for frontline troops, had personally demonstrated his specialized kamikaze drones to top Kremlin officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the bombing, though Russian security services routinely point the finger at Kyiv for precision strikes on high-value targets deep inside Russian territory. The attack marks the second high-profile hit on Russian drone developers in less than a week, coming just days after defense engineer Andrei Cherezov was shot and wounded by an unknown gunman.

The escalation comes amid a broader wave of violence striking inside Russia’s borders. The car bombing follows a devastating explosion at an upscale Italian restaurant in Moscow that left five people dead and 19 others injured. That attack reportedly targeted Colonel-General Alexander Chaiko, the newly appointed chief of Russia’s aerospace forces, who was celebrating his birthday at the venue.

With unmanned aerial systems now dominating the conflict midway through its fifth year, the hits highlight the growing vulnerability of the civilian suppliers and military officers keeping Putin’s war machine running.

The timing is particularly embarrassing for the Kremlin, breaking just as leadership announced a brand-new branch of the military specifically dedicated to unmanned systems.

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Leigh KimminsReporter

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