Ukraine releases new videos of its Flamingo missiles blasting off for 900-mile strikes on Russia’s rear

Editor’s Note: This article by Matthew Loh was originally published by Business Insider.

Ukraine has published new clips of its homegrown FP-5 Flamingo missiles launching into battle, saying they flew some 930 miles to reach a military manufacturing complex deep inside Russia.

The videos, posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, provide some of the clearest footage yet of the missiles taking off from the ground.

The clips appear to show the Flamingos igniting their jet engines for an initial burst of acceleration, rising quickly into the sky before gently arcing into a forward trajectory.

Their manufacturer, the Ukrainian firm Fire Point, has said that the 40-foot missiles have a maximum range of 1,860 miles and can carry a 1,150-kg warhead at speeds of up to 560 mph.

Our long-range sanctions continue to provide an entirely just response to Russian strikes.

Last night, combat launches of F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles were carried out as part of the Armed Forces’ Deep Strike operation against several enemy targets, including military-industrial… pic.twitter.com/ndxnuIenyO
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 5, 2026

Zelenskyy said in his post that the missiles shown on Tuesday had “covered a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers,” making it one of their longest announced combat flights.

Zelenskyy added that a major target for the strike operation was a military-industrial complex in Cheboksary, a Russian city about 600 miles from Ukraine’s northern border.

“The plant supplied navigation elements for the Russian Navy, missile industry, aviation, and armored vehicles,” the Ukrainian president wrote.

Russian Telegram news channels and military bloggers reported on Tuesday that the VNIIR-Progress complex in Cheboksary had come under Ukrainian attack on Monday. Several videos and photos posted by these channels appeared to show large explosions in the city.

One clip showed flames and debris covering the main entrance of the ABS Electro building, an enterprise in the industrial complex that builds satellite guidance systems for Russian weapons, submarines, and drones.

Ukraine’s Flamingo FP-5 missile. (Fire Point)

Another photo, first geolocated by the Russian Telegram channel ASTRA to a small strip mall about 800 yards away, showed black smoke rising from a large fire in the complex’s general direction. Business Insider was unable to verify when these clips or photos were taken.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in a Tuesday assessment that footage on social media indicated six Flamingo missiles had struck the VNIIR-Progress plant.

A long-range fixed-wing drone was also filmed crashing into what appears to be a residential building.

Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported that two people were killed and another 32 were injured in a “massive attack” in the region.

The VNIIR-Progress plant previously came under attack from Ukrainian drones in February, June, July, and November 2025, with regional head Oleg Nikolaev saying the June strike temporarily halted production.

Locally designed and produced, Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles have taken the spotlight in the country for providing Kyiv with a long-range attack option that can threaten Russia’s military-industrial base. The West has plenty of such weapons, but has so far refrained from giving them to Ukraine for strikes on Russian soil.

Apart from the Flamingo, Ukraine has more commonly relied on slower one-way attack drones, such as the fixed-wing Liutyi, to hit facilities deeper inside Russia. While cheaper and more numerous, they’re easier for air defenses to intercept.

Zelenskyy said last year that Ukraine was planning to manufacture seven Flamingos per day.

Feature Image: The FP-5 Flamingo missile launching in combat on Tuesday. (Volodymyr Zelenskyy/X)

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