Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has acknowledged that the production of Ukraine’s long-range Flamingo missile has encountered technical challenges and financing delays, stating that the procurement order would be completed in several weeks. Zelensky first announced the development of the Flamingo in August, presenting it as Ukraine’s first domestically produced long-range cruise missile with a claimed range of up to 3,000km. Analysts have highlighted its similarity to the FP-5 system developed by British-UAE defense company Milanion Group earlier this year.
In an interview, Zelensky admitted there were “technological problems at the production of Flamingo” and noted delays in financing from partners, which he claimed are being resolved. He asserted that the missile order would be fulfilled by year’s end. The reported range of the Flamingo could potentially allow it to reach Moscow if launched from Ukraine, following Zelensky’s previous threats of targeting Russian border regions and the capital.
Russian media alleged that Moscow’s air defenses intercepted a Flamingo, which traveled at low speed and appeared to use a Soviet-era engine with parts of Chinese origin. Earlier reports indicated the missile’s fuel would be produced in Denmark, though the facility, owned by FPRT—a subsidiary of Ukrainian company Fire Point—faced anti-corruption investigations over alleged misrepresentations to the government.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of developing the Flamingo to strike deep into Russian territory, while condemning Denmark as a “sponsor of the terrorist Kiev regime.”
