President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at a growing reach in Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign, saying Kyiv has recently used not only drones but domestically produced missiles to hit targets inside Russia.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Kyiv, Zelensky said recent footage circulating on social media makes it possible to distinguish strikes carried out by drones from those delivered by other systems.
“From those fragments that are on social networks, you can see where drones were used and where non-drones were used,” he said, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Zelensky declined to give operational details, saying Kyiv did not want to “prepare” Russian forces for Ukrainian tactics. He reiterated that roughly 60 percent of deep strikes inside Russia have been carried out by Ukrainian unmanned systems, which he said can reach targets up to 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) inside Russian territory.
The comments came as The Economist suggested Kyiv may have begun using a new class of long-range cruise missiles, identified as the FP-5 Flamingo.
The Flamingo is Ukraine’s new long-range subsonic cruise missile, whose range and size on paper make it one of the largest and longest-range in its class.
The missile, which reportedly underwent successful testing in recent months, has a range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), which enables it to hit deep into Russia, beyond the Ural Mountains and into the Asian parts of Russia.
The Economist reported that the FP-5 can fly at low altitude (about 50 meters, or 164 feet), carry a 1,150-kg (2,535-lbs) warhead, and that, if validated, such weapons could materially increase the destructive power of Ukraine’s so-called DeepStrike campaign.
The Economist also described the Fire Point FP-1 drones as the principal platform for deep strikes so far; those unmanned systems reportedly have smaller warheads but can reach roughly 1,500 km (932 miles) and use sophisticated software that has proven resilient to intensive electronic warfare.
Kyiv Post sought confirmation from the Ukrainian General Staff about reports of Flamingo missiles but was told, “No, we do not have such information at this time.”
AP News, citing industry experts, reported that the missile was named Flamingo after its first batch turned out pink due to manufacturing flaws – a name that has since stuck.
Zelensky thanked both Ukraine’s armed forces and domestic defense manufacturers, and said Kyiv expects “large capabilities” in the near future that will depend on funding.
He said it is realistic to plan for producing missiles and drones valued at about $35 billion by 2026, and noted Ukraine’s network of some 30 bilateral agreements as potential sources of financing.
“We believe we have indeed increased our capabilities,” he said.
“That volume depends on whether the corresponding money will be available. Where might that money come from? Fortunately, we have 30 bilateral agreements.”
Last August Fire Point, the Ukrainian manufacturer of Kyiv’s new Flamingo cruise missiles, said the current production capacity is one per day, with the goal of reaching seven per day by October.
Iryna Terekh, head of production at Fire Point, told AP News the current and planned production numbers of the Flamingo.
“Fire Point is producing roughly one Flamingo per day, and by October, they hope to build capacity to make seven per day, Terekh said,” AP News wrote.