The Ukrainian cruise missile “Flamingo” has been in use for almost a year. Now there are new doubts about the effectiveness of the missile system.
May 5, 2026, 10:07 p.mMay 5, 2026, 10:07 p.m
Peter Riesbeck / t-online
Officially, the cruise missile is considered a great success. It was only on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj reported the attack on several targets in Russia. This included an attack on an arms factory in the city of Cheboksary, around 1,500 kilometers away, which was hit with the Ukrainian cruise missile “Flamingo,” Zelensky said on Platform X. The factory is intended to produce navigation devices for the Russian Navy.
The “Flamingo” rocket was introduced last year. Her coat is pink to match the bird of the same name. Many at home and abroad consider it the secret of Ukrainian success, but the effectiveness of the “Flamingo” has repeatedly been questioned.
The independent research platform “Oboronka” has now evaluated public data that raises doubts about the reliability of the cruise missile. In total, the research platform evaluated 23 “Flamingo” attacks. Ukrainian army information was taken into account, but even more so publicly available satellite images.
The result of the evaluation is surprising: out of 23 rockets, only six reached the closer target area and only two achieved effective hits. An attack cannot be clearly assigned. However, the authors of the study admit: “It is difficult to draw conclusions from this data about the effectiveness of the entire weapon system.” In addition, rocket expert Fabian Hoffmann points out in the specialist portal “hartpunkt.de”: “Even limited damage could slow down several assembly lines at the same time if components produced there are not available for a long period of time.”
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd from right), Yehor Skalyha (l.), Denys Shtilerman (2nd from left) and Iryna Terekh (r.) at a press conference next to a Flamingo rocket in Kiev.Image: keystone
Manufacturer startup only founded in 2022
The Flamingo cruise missile is manufactured by Fire Point. The company, founded after the Russian invasion in 2022, is the largest Ukrainian manufacturer of long-range drones. Fire Point says it is currently in the final stages of developing two supersonic ballistic missiles.
The smaller FP-7 with a range of around 300 kilometers should be used in the near future. The larger FP-9 is about to be tested. It could carry an 800 kilogram warhead up to 850 kilometers, which would also put Russia’s capital Moscow within reach of the Ukrainian arsenal.
Attacks on Putin’s highway would trigger a rethink in the Russian leadership, co-founder and chief developer Denys Schtiljerman was convinced. Fire Point is currently producing hundreds of drones every day for the equivalent of around 45,000 francs each, as well as three Flamingo-type cruise missiles for around 550,000 francs each. Schtiljerman regularly posts evidence of the success of the weapons manufactured by Fire Point on social media.
The fuel for Flamingo is produced, among other places, in Denmark, not far from the border town of Flensburg. Observers suspect that the production facility is the background for an increased number of drone flights in Denmark last late summer. Russia is suspected to be the mastermind. (fwa)