Аннотация:Short pulse laser breakdown in a non-uniform vapor cloud is considered as an instant local energy release (point explosion). The breakdown generates a strong shock wave propagating over the cloud. Propagation of the shock is described using an approach developed by A. S. Kompaneets. This approach is generalized to the case of arbitrary density and pressure profiles in the vapor cloud. For this case, the equation for shock wave shape is reduced to the eiconal equation in optics. Exact solutions are obtained for particular density distributions.