Zelensky admits ‘problem’ with new missile
Production of Ukraine’s long-range Flamingo missile has encountered both technical setbacks and financing delays, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said, adding that a procurement order would be ready in several weeks.
Zelensky first announced that development of the Flamingo was underway in August, touting it as Ukraine’s first domestically produced long-range cruise missile, which he claimed has a range of up to 3,000km. Some analysts, however, have noted its close resemblance to the FP-5 system unveiled by British-UAE defense company Milanion Group earlier this year at an arms expo in Abu Dhabi.
In an interview with TSN on Sunday, Zelensky acknowledged that “there was a technological problem at the production of Flamingo,” adding that “there is a delay in financing from partners, which is being resolved.” Nevertheless, he claimed that the order for the missiles “would be fully fulfilled by the end of the year.”
The reported range of the Flamingo means that the missiles could potentially reach Moscow if launched from Ukraine, with Zelensky previously threatening blackouts in Russian border regions and the Russian capital itself.
Russian media reports claimed that Moscow’s air defenses intercepted a Flamingo, which traveled at relatively low speed, adding that it appeared to feature a Soviet-era engine and numerous parts of Chinese origin.
Earlier media reports suggested that the fuel for the Flamingo would be produced in Denmark. According to the broadcaster DR, the facility in the south of the country is owned by FPRT, a subsidiary of the Ukrainian company Fire Point, which developed the missile. The company, however, has faced an anti-corruption investigation over allegations of misleading the government on pricing and delivery schedules.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said Flamingo missiles are “intended to strike deep inside Russia,” while accusing Denmark of being one of the “sponsors of the terrorist Kiev regime.”
