Unidentified assailants shot Andrei Cherezov, the founder and director of the Russian Laboratory of Air Transport (RLVT), three times in the stairwell of a multi-story building on Mikheeva Street in Tula on the night of July 29, according to pro-war Telegram channels and later confirmed by TASS and other state media. Cherezov's wife heard the shots, opened the door and called an ambulance; he was hospitalized in critical condition. The attacker fled and is being sought.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on attempted murder (Part 3 of Article 30, Part 1 of Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code) but did not name the victim, referring only to a “Tula businessman.” Sources in law enforcement cited by Mash and 112 identified the victim as Cherezov.
Investigators are considering several motives, including a link to Cherezov's professional activities. RLVT, registered in 2022, conducts research and development in natural and technical sciences. In 2025–2026, it won contracts worth about 29.7 million rubles to supply unmanned aerial systems to Voronezh State Technical University, including 337 multirotor drone kits and 17 control sets.
The company also develops and produces FPV drones called Ovod (Gadfly), which, according to sources, Russian forces use in the full-scale war against Ukraine. The European Union recently added RLVT to its sanctions list, noting that its drones have been used on the front line against Ukraine.