Russian forces have hit an enterprise of the Ukrainian company Fire Point, manufacturer of the "Flamingo" cruise missiles, in a massive strike on Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.
According to the ministry, the attack also hit an enterprise of the "Aerobavovna" company, as well as the "Darnitsa" locomotive depot in the Ukrainian capital.
The Russian ministry also reported a strike on a workshop for assembling unmanned boats in Khotov and an oil base in Borispol, Kiev region.
A thermal power plant and electrical substations were attacked in Odessa and the Odessa region, and warehouses and tanks were attacked in the territory of the ports in the region, Moscow's statement said.
Ukrainian authorities reported casualties in the attacks. Four people died in the night strike in Borispol.
In Kiev, eight people were killed, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, announced. Seven of them died in the Darnytsia region, where a missile hit a railway depot.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that an Indian citizen was among those killed in the Russian strikes.
The Russian Defense Ministry also confirmed a strike on the border checkpoint and ferry link at Orlovka, on the Ukrainian-Romanian border.
"They demonstratively damaged the border checkpoint on the border with Romania, as well as the export infrastructure," Zelensky said, commenting on the attack.
Orlovka is located on the Ukrainian bank of the Danube opposite the Romanian city of Isaccia. The ferry line between the two settlements is one of the transport links between Ukraine and Romania through the Danube Delta.
Fire Point is one of the leading Ukrainian private companies for the development and production of long-range strike unmanned systems and missiles. The company was founded after the start of the Russian invasion in 2022 and initially focused on the production of relatively cheap long-range drones designed to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
Among its most famous developments is the FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missile. According to the manufacturer's official technical specifications, it has a range of up to 3,000 kilometers and can carry a combat load of up to 1,150 kilograms. Its maximum speed reaches 950 km/h, and the maximum take-off weight is about six tons. The missile is launched from a ground-based installation using a rocket booster.
"Flamingo" is designed to hit stationary ground targets at predetermined coordinates and, according to the manufacturer, can also operate in conditions of active electronic warfare. The missile flies at an altitude of between 20 meters and 10 kilometers, and preparation for launch takes between 20 and 40 minutes.
In June, Fire Point CEO Irina Terek told the specialized publication Janes that the FP-5 is already being used in Ukrainian strikes on targets in Russian territory. According to data provided to the publication by the company, the missile has a maximum flight time of about four hours.
Production has also been significantly increased. In July, Terek told the British newspaper "The Guardian" that Fire Point produces about 100 "Flamingo" missiles per month. According to her, the price of one missile is just under $600,000. The company has dozens of production sites in Ukraine, which allows production to be dispersed in different places.
The FP-5 has already been used in real strikes at long distances. According to Fire Point, one of the longest combat missions was against a military components factory in the Russian city of Cheboksary in June. Due to the route chosen to bypass Russian air defenses, the missile flew approximately 1,800 kilometers.
Therefore, a possible hit on a Fire Point production facility in Kiev would be important for Ukraine's long-range strike program. However, so far, the information that the factory of the "Flamingo" manufacturer was hit in the attack comes from the Russian Ministry of Defense and has not been independently confirmed.