Ukraine's Flamingo Missile May Be A Lie

Despite big claims, there have been very few confirmable Flamingo strikes

Flamingo. Fire Point photo

Ukraine’s new Flamingo cruise missile is a six tons of brute force firepower, ranging 1,900 miles under inertial and satellite guidance to deliver a 2,200-pound warhead.

It’s simple, purportedly inexpensive at half a million dollars and—owing to its many off-the-shelf components—mass-producible on a tight timeline.

In short, the ground-launched Flamingo may be just the thing Ukraine needs to extend its campaign of deep strikes even deeper into Russia—and inflict real and lasting damage.

Or, the Flamingo is a scam by manufacturer Fire Point. It’s not for no reason the company is under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine for corruption and sheltering a draft-dodger.

According to The Kyiv Independent, NABU alleged that Timur Mindich—an ally of Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky—headed a group getting kickbacks from government contracts. Mindich allegedly has ties to Fire Point, although the company denies it.

It’s a mess. And while it’s obvious Fire Point does build effective weapons—the FP-1 and FP-2 attack drones stand out—it’s not yet clear the Flamingo is among them.