Ukraine has reportedly struck a key military production facility deep inside Russia, potentially surpassing the range of Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles with a new long-range weapon.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian territory as the war enters its fifth year, with Russia continuing nightly attacks on Ukraine using drones and missiles. The Russian military relies on a steady supply of weapons, including Shahed drones, as well as Kinschal, Iskandar, and Oreshnik missiles. A recent Ukrainian attack directly targeted the production of these weapons.
Ukraine Targets Russian Oreshnik and Iskandar Missile Production
According to Ukrainian sources, including the magazine Defense Express, Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian arms company producing ballistic missiles, including the Kinschal, Iskandar, and Oreshnik types. The target was JSC Wotkinsk Machine-Building Factory in the Republic of Udmurtia, more than 1300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The facility has been producing ballistic missiles since 1957.
According to reports, the attack utilized Ukrainian cruise missiles of the FP-5 “Flamingo” type. The Ukrainian General Staff stated that important assets of the enemy’s military-industrial complex and logistics were hit. Denys Shtilerman, chief designer of the Fire Point company, which produces the “Flamingo” missiles, posted a video of the launch of similar missiles on social media, writing, “Here’s a short video. No context. Context to follow.”
Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels published footage from Wotkinsk, reportedly taken by residents, showing smoke rising from the factory’s production halls. Defense Express reported that the Ukrainian “Flamingo” missiles struck key military complexes in Russia for the third time in a month with this attack, following a previous strike on the Kapustin Yar test site.
Ukrainian Flamingo Missile Sets New Standard: Range Exceeds Russia’s Kalibr
The reported attack on the Russian arms company has focused attention on the actual range of the Ukrainian “Flamingo” cruise missile. The strike may have set a new benchmark for the longest combat use of a cruise missile – potentially exceeding the previously known range of Russia’s “Kalibr” systems at 1500 kilometers.
The straight-line distance between the Ukrainian state border and the factory in Wotkinsk is approximately 1300 kilometers. However, a realistic assessment of the actual distance traveled requires considering additional factors, according to Defense Express. Launch positions are typically not immediately on the border, but further inland. It is assumed that the cruise missile followed evasive and maneuvering routes to bypass or complicate Russian air defenses.
The magazine estimates that the actual distance traveled could have been between 1600 and 1650 kilometers, or even more. Russia’s “Kalibr” missile was first used in combat on October 7, 2015, when Russia attacked targets in Syria. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the cruise missiles traveled around 1500 kilometers at that time. (Sources: Defense Express, Telegram, own research) (bb)
