Russian drone factory director badly injured in car explosion

The director of a factory supplying drones to the Russian military was badly wounded when his car exploded, news reports said Wednesday. The state Tass and RIA Novosti agencies said that Vladimir Tkachuk was hospitalized in grave condition following the explosion late Tuesday in Bolshoy Istok just outside Yekaterinburg, 1,400 kilometers (about 870 miles) east of Moscow. It didn’t immediately give details of the explosion or say who could be responsible.There was no immediate comment from the authorities.Tkachuk headed the Uraldronzavod factory that manufactures Upyr (Russian for Ghoul) drones. Tkachuk, a small-scale entrepreneur, set up a team of engineers that developed the Upyr and organized its production near Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city and a key industrial hub in the Ural Mountains. Get breaking National news Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. The Upyr, a cheap and simple first-person view drone, was hailed by troops for the protection it offers against jamming. Story continues below advertisement 2:01 ‘What drone?’: Putin denies Russia responsible for drone attack in Romania, blames Ukraine Russia...