Head of Russian drone maker 'fighting for life' after car explosion

The head of a Russian drone manufacturing company was injured in a car explosion near Yekaterinburg in central Russia, emergency officials said Wednesday.

Vladimir Tkachuk, who heads Uraldronzavod, is in intensive care at a hospital, Russian state news agency TASS said, citing an emergency official.

"He is in intensive care in serious condition, and doctors are fighting for his life,” an emergency services official was quoted as saying.

The circumstances of the blast and its possible cause were not immediately clear.

Authorities have not publicly attributed the incident to Ukraine.

Uraldronzavod is a Russian company involved in the development and production of unmanned aerial systems, including the Upyr FPV drone.

Since the onset of the war with Russia, Ukraine has been targeting senior Russian military personnel.