Russian Defense Plant Head Attacked With Hammer

In Kurgan, an unknown assailant attacked Andrey Kondratyev, the head of the defense company JSC NPO Kurganpribor, which specializes in the production of aviation weaponry.

According to the Russian news outlet Ura.ru, the incident occurred on May 22 at around 7:00 p.m.

“The driver brought the plant director to the entrance of the building. That’s where the planned attack took place. The man was struck with a hammer. Emergency medical assistance was immediately provided at the scene, which possibly saved his life,” a source told the publication.

The victim is currently in the hospital in moderate condition. The situation is already under the control of Sergey Muratov, head of the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee.

According to some media reports, in 2024 Kondratyev was presented as the chief designer of the enterprise. His professional activities are now believed to be linked to the motive behind the attack.

JSC NPO Kurganpribor is a leading Russian defense enterprise. There is little publicly available information about its operations, but it is known to produce components for artillery shells, multiple rocket launch systems, aviation missiles, and bombs.

According to some data, the enterprise supplies about 60% of the Russian market for artillery fuzes.

It is worth noting that a related company, JSC NPO Kurganpribor subsidiary Special Design Technological Bureau Kurganpribor, is engaged in the production of RVV-MD air-to-air missiles, as well as components for UMPK kits used in free-fall bombs.

Last month, in the Russian city of Bryansk, the car of a leading Russian designer, who was involved in the development and modernization of electronic warfare (EW) systems, exploded.

Yevgeny Rytikov was the head of the design bureau of the JSC Bryansk Electromechanical Plant — a key developer and innovator in the sector of creating advanced EW systems for the Russian invasion army.

It is known that Rytikov’s car exploded when he and a colleague got into it. The publication suggests that the other person might have been the deputy head of the design bureau or his assistant.