Ukraine used its domestically produced Flamingo cruise missile alongside drones to strike ‘several dozen objects’ in Russian-occupied territories and inside Russia on Thursday, the Ukrainian military general staff said. The Ukrainian-made FP-5 missile can fly 3,000km (1,864 miles) and land within 14 metres (45ft) of its target, delivering a warhead of 1,150kg (2,535lb), according to experts. It is commonly known as a Flamingo missile because initial versions came out pink after the factory used the wrong paint.
The general staff said Ukrainian forces hit a marine oil terminal in occupied Crimea, a helicopter parking lot and UAV storage area, training areas at the Kirovsk airfield, and an air defence radar station. In Zaporizhzhia region, an oil depot and forward command posts were struck. Facilities on Russian territory were also hit, with damage being assessed.
Russian forces launched a ‘massive’ drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Friday, striking apartment buildings and causing fires. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said falling debris hit a five-storey building in Dniprovskyi district and a high-rise was on fire in Podil. Both drones and missiles were used, according to Kyiv’s military administration.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s top commander, visited units defending Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, stating there is no question of Russian control over the city or operational encirclement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was not opposed to withdrawing given the ‘very difficult’ situation but deferred to commanders on the ground. ‘No one is forcing them to die for the sake of ruins,’ he said. The Institute for the Study of War noted Russian forces will likely collapse the pocket around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
Zelenskyy also visited troops near Orikhiv, describing the situation as ‘one of the most difficult’ and emphasising the need to shield Zaporizhzhia city. Meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced a €6bn loan to Ukraine, vowing to cover its financial needs for the next two years, and said Vladimir Putin ‘thinks he can outlast us’ but it is a ‘clear miscalculation’.
