President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that all Ukrainian-made “Flamingo” missiles launched at a Russian missile manufacturing plant on Feb. 21 reached their target, calling the strike a success for Ukraine’s defense industry.
Speaking at a news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Zelensky said the missiles struck the Votkinsk Plant in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, west of the Ural Mountains and 1,068 kilometers (664 miles) east of Moscow.
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“We carried out precise strikes with ‘Flamingo’ missiles at a range of 1,400 kilometers. I believe this is truly a success for our industry,” Zelensky said.
The Votkinsk Plant manufactures several types of Russian missiles, including the Iskander-M, Topol-M and Oreshnik systems. The facility is under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, Japan and Ukraine.
The Udmurt Republic’s Governor Alexander Brechalov confirmed after midnight Feb. 21 that “one of the facilities” in the region had been attacked by drones, reporting damage and casualties. He did not name the site.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said flights were temporarily suspended at several airports, including in Izhevsk, the regional capital.
Zelensky declined to say how many missiles were launched.
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“There were interceptions by Russian air defense, there were also missiles that were not intercepted, and there were direct hits,” he said. “But the most important thing is that all the missiles that were launched reached the target facility.”
The Flamingo long-range subsonic cruise missile was unveiled in August with a claimed range of more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
A representative of its developer, Fire Point, has said the missile outperforms the US Tomahawk. Current versions are equipped with bunker-busting warheads capable of penetrating up to 10 meters (33 feet) of reinforced concrete.
