The head of a leading Russian drone manufacturer has been critically injured in a car bomb near Ekaterinburg, in what appears to be the latest in a series of assassination attempts targeting figures linked to the country’s war in Ukraine. Vladimir Tkachuk, the founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, was rushed to intensive care on Wednesday after a bomb planted beneath his Mercedes exploded, according to Russian state media, citing emergency services. The Russian news agency Tass reported that Tkachuk was in a critical condition and doctors were “fighting [to save] his life”. Uraldronzavod is one of several private drone manufacturers that sprang up in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Uraldronzavod and Tkachuk have been hit with sanctions by western governments for their role in supporting Russia’s war.