A dangerous new front is emerging in the Russia-Ukraine war as attackers and alleged intelligence operatives increasingly target executives and engineers developing the cutting-edge drone technology that is reshaping the battlefield, industry experts warned Sunday.
The attacks include an Aug. 4 car bombing near Yekaterinburg that critically injured Vladimir Tkachuk, head of Russian drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, and killed his driver, according to Russian state news agency TASS, The Associated Press reported.
His company produces the “Upyr,” or “Ghoul,” a first-person-view attack drone used by Russian forces in Ukraine.
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Days earlier, Andrei Cherezov, head of another Russian drone company, was shot three times in Tula overnight July 28-29 in an apparent assassination attempt, according to Ukrainian outlet Pravda. Authorities have not publicly attributed either attack to Ukraine.
Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital that the rise in attacks comes as Russia and Ukraine race for an edge in drone warfare, making the relatively small number of people responsible for developing new technology increasingly important targets.
“When you can’t take out all the distributed infrastructure, drone manufacturing leadership becomes the primary target,” Chell said.
“These strikes in Russia and Ukraine and Germany on founders, leaders, engineers of defense and, in particular, drone-type companies are down to drones and these companies having such an impact themselves.”
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“Because drone technology evolves rapidly — often with significant iterations occurring every 10 to 30 days — targeting a key engineer, founder, or product lead creates immediate operational disruptions on the battlefield.”
“Taking out a particular engineer or taking out a particular leader can set a very important weapons program back quite some time and disrupt shipments to the front line,” Chell added.
German authorities have also arrested two suspected operatives accused of spying on a Bavarian drone manufacturer for Russian intelligence, while reports this month said the alleged operation included preparations to target company executive Stefan Thumann, according to Germany’s Die Zeit.
The case follows a reported 2024 plot disrupted by U.S. and German intelligence to target Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger.
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Chell said as Ukraine and Russia push toward artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, engineers developing those technologies are more strategically important.
“What we see in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is nobody in the loop — total autonomy is the direction things are going because it moves with more speed and precision,” Chell said.
“AI and total autonomy are the big innovations for the next 18 months, so a potential reason we could see more targeted activity against leaders is because Ukrainians have that technology advantage.”
“Targeting small drone companies is a relatively easy operation compared to targeting individuals in state-run weapons programs,” he said.
“It is a fairly inexpensive, low-risk tactic for intelligence agencies that yields an immediate impact on the battlefield, and that’s why we’ve seen this tactic.”
“It is a very interesting turn or tactic that’s being played by both sides here.”
Chell highlighted how Russia and Ukraine approach such plots differently.
“I wouldn’t suggest one side has an advantage over the other in terms of tactics, but psychologically, it has a deeper effect on the Russian side,” Chell said.
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“The volume of drone advantage will remain with the Russians for the foreseeable future, but the innovation of drones, tactics, and technology lies with the Ukrainians right now.”
“Ukraine faces an existential threat, so they are ready for anything. Their tactics tend to be much more blunt — a direct shooter in a hallway or a car bomb,” he added.
“The Russian tactics tend to be much more state-organized, using old Cold War tactics: low-level contacts, extensive intelligence and surveillance ahead of time, and inserting into other countries like Germany,” he said.
“The Russians have a long-standing, well-established intelligence infrastructure dating back to World War II and the Cold War.”
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As the drone manufacturing industry takes greater precautions, Chell maintained that threats against companies and individuals in the defense supply chain are receiving increased scrutiny.
“We are very cognizant of it, and we’re in contact with the proper authorities to make sure we’re taking precautions on both a cyber and physical level to ensure we’re at less risk,” he said.
“We certainly don’t take anything for granted.”
“There are training and programs in place to ensure executives have a level of safety, primarily around awareness, cybersecurity, and physical location protection,” Chell added before stating that the attacks and attempted assassinations have “heightened the conversation around it.”
“We as an industry are taking it with a measured amount more seriously,” he said.
