THE director of a factory supplying drones to the Russian military was badly wounded when his car exploded, news reports said today.

Vladimir Tkachuk was hospitalised in a grave condition following Tuesday night’s explosion in Bolshoy Istok, just outside Yekaterinburg. 

The details were not immediately clear and there was no immediate comment from the Russian authorities.

Mr Tkachuk ran the Uraldronzavod factory that manufactures Upyr drones. He set up a team of engineers that developed the Upyr, a cheap and simple first-person view drone, and organised its production in Bolshoy Istok.

Russian authorities have blamed Kiev for a series of bombings and other attacks on senior military officials since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The explosion followed Saturday’s deadly bombing at an upmarket Moscow restaurant, which the Russian embassy in Rome blamed on Ukraine, describing it as an attempt to intimidate the Italian community in Russia. 

The attack killed five people and injured 19. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described it as a “brutal terrorist act” but did not say who was responsible.

Meanwhile, overnight Russian attacks on Kiev and the surrounding region killed 17 people and wounded dozens, President Volodymyr Zelensky said today. 

The barrage lasted about two hours and included 24 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 115 drones. 

Ukraine’s depleted air defences failed to stop any of the incoming missiles.

Tomorrow has been set as an official day of mourning, said regional military administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In addition to the dead, at least 44 people were injured.