Inside Ukraine's secret factory: The Flamingo cruise missile

WISE NEWS PRESS / KYIV, UKRAINE — DEC. 18, 2025

Ukraine has accelerated the domestic production of its highly classified "Flamingo" cruise missile, a long-range weapon with a 3,000 km reach designed to strike deep into the Russian rear.

Journalists granted access to the secret assembly lines of the Fire Point company reported that the facilities operate under extreme security, with staff required to mask production details to avoid Russian detection. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has noted that more than 50% of the weapons currently used on the front lines are domestically produced, highlighting Ukraine's growing self-reliance as Western military aid fluctuates. The Flamingo missile, comparable in range to the US-made Tomahawk, represents a critical shift in Ukraine's ability to conduct independent deep-strike operations.

Strategic impact on the Russian war economy

Irina Terekh, Chief Technical Officer at Fire Point, explained that the decision to prioritize local components was strategic, specifically avoiding parts from the US and China to ensure production remains immune to external political shifts. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that long-range missile strikes have already cost the Russian economy over $21.5 billion this year. These indigenous missiles target refineries, arms factories, and ammunition depots to systematically degrade Moscow's military potential.

Self-sufficiency as a security guarantee

While Ukraine continues to seek international intelligence and financial support, companies like Fire Point are now leading the world in the rapid development of unmanned systems, producing 200 drones per day. Chief designer Denys Shtilerman emphasized that domestic capacity is the only sustainable path to victory. Terekh concluded that in the face of ongoing peace negotiations, Ukraine’s ability to manufacture its own long-range strike capabilities is the only true security guarantee for the nation's survival.

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