Key figure in Kyiv military drone program killed in bizarre car accident

Yaroslav Olejnik was responsible for promoting UAV production in Ukraine for further attacks against Russia

An adviser to former Ukrainian strategic industries minister Alexander Kamyshin was killed in a car crash over the weekend, just days after the official resigned following a major government reshuffle. Yaroslav Oleynik helped Kyiv ramp up production of drones for attacks on Russia.

The news of the 28-year-old official's death was announced on Sunday by Kamyshin's former deputy Anna Gvozdyar and confirmed by the ex-minister himself. Oleynik's wife Nina is said to have died in the same accident.

The Strana news portal claimed that it had learned details of the incident from a source in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. According to the source, Oleynik's Mitsubishi Pajero was rammed head-on by a Mitsubishi L-200 driven by another serviceman.

The other driver reportedly hit a wild boar and slid into the oncoming lane. While the Oleyniks died at the scene, the third victim survived the collision and is currently being treated in hospital. The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Saturday in the Zhitomir region, the source said.

In interviews, Oleynik described his role in the government as being responsible for all of the department's drone development. He previously served as a drone pilot in the Ukrainian military and actively supported the war effort.

Just last week, Kamyshin claimed that Ukraine had made great strides in increasing domestic weapons production and complained that a lack of money prevented it from doing more. He told CNN that it was “embarrassing” for him not to produce more weapons. He also accompanied Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to Germany to attend a meeting with Western politicians about arms donations.

After leaving the Ukrainian cabinet, Kamyshin joined Zelensky's office as an adviser on strategic affairs. His immediate plans included lobbying the International Chess Federation to sideline Russia.

Ukraine's drone forces suffered a major blow last Tuesday when a Russian missile struck a military school in the city of Poltava. The attack killed recruits and instructors specializing in several key areas, including unmanned warfare. Roman Gladky was also suspended as commander of Ukraine's drone operations.

(RT.com)