Moscow, Aug 5: The CEO of a key Russian manufacturer of strike drones is in serious condition following a car explosion in the Sverdlovsk region late Tuesday night, TASS reported on Wednesday, citing emergency service representatives.
CEO of UralDronZavod Vladimir Tkachuk remains in intensive care following the explosion, according to available information.
UralDronZavod is a Russian full-cycle drone manufacturer that Tkachuk launched as a startup in 2023. The company designs and produces a full lineup of drone systems, ranging from compact models to heavy-lift multicopters and fixed-wing drones, Xinhua news agency reported.
The incident came one week after an attempted assassination on Andrey Cherezov, chief designer and developer of the Ovod drone series, inside a residential building in the western Russian city of Tula.
Meanwhile, one person was killed and 12 others injured in a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on Wednesday, Ukrainian media reported.
As of 2:10 am local time (2310 GMT), damage had been recorded at more than seven locations across the city, according to the city's military administration.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that one warehouse building had been destroyed near the city centre and rescue teams had pulled two people from the rubble.
The attack triggered fires in warehouses and storage areas, as well as a major blaze on the city's outskirts, he said, adding that debris from a fallen missile had landed next to a residential building.
In the surrounding Kyiv region, another person was killed and 21 others were injured, said local authorities on Telegram.
Ukraine and Russia have intensified exchanges of fire in recent days. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early Wednesday that Moscow came under a massive Ukrainian drone attack, with over 190 UAVs shot down.
Moscow authorities did not confirm any casualties or damage to infrastructure facilities.
To ensure flight safety, restrictions were imposed at Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports in the Russian capital.
According to regional governor Andrei Vorobyov, five people were killed and six others injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow oblast on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Russian local authorities said 10 people were killed and dozens injured in Ukrainian drone attacks on several regions of Russia.
--IANS
