Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has joined the advisory board of Fire Point, Ukraine’s leading defence company, which is known for its long-range drones and cruise missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia. The appointment comes as the company faces an ongoing corruption investigation.
Fire Point, which has grown from relative obscurity after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to report around $1 billion in revenue this year, is establishing a new factory in Denmark and expanding production of its battle-tested cruise missile, the Flamingo (FP-5). The company’s chief technology officer, Iryna Terekh, said the board was formed to ensure the firm follows “the clearest and best corporate standards.”
Three other individuals will join the board alongside Pompeo. The investigation, launched a year ago by anti-corruption bodies, remains ongoing. Fire Point executives insist they have nothing to hide and have commissioned an independent audit of pricing and production. “We completely support, as a company, the fact that this investigation is happening,” Terekh told the Associated Press.
The company’s Flamingo missile has been tested at least four times on the battlefield, including strikes on an FSB base in Crimea and targets in the Russian city of Oryol. US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg recently visited one of Fire Point’s factories. The company benefits from the “Danish model,” a financing mechanism where foreign governments directly fund Ukrainian defence firms.
