Flamingo threat triggers unprecedented missile alert across Russia, 1 claimed shot down
Russia has claimed to shoot down a Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo missile, amid an unprecedentedly large alert announced across Russia, Russian media and officials reported on Feb. 27.
The reported Flamingo attack comes just a week after the much-hyped missiles were used to strike the Votkinsk missile factory in Russia's Udmurtia Republic, suggesting a much-awaited expansion of their use by Kyiv.
A total of 13 Russian regions issued alerts in the afternoon, including Orenburg Oblast in the southern Ural Mountains, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
For eight of the regions, it was the first time such a missile threat was announced.
Authorities in the Chuvash Republic reported that one Flamingo missile was shot down over the region, while another lost its course.
Russia's Emergency Services Ministry gave the all-clear at 3:47 p.m. Moscow time. As of 6 p.m., no reports of strikes have emerged from Russia.
Ukraine has not commented on alleged missile attack.
The Flamingo missile, built by controversial defense manufacturer Fire Point — which also makes most of Ukraine's deep strike drones — was only used publicly on a handful of occasions since being first unveiled in summer last year.
With a 1,000-kilogram warhead and a 3,000 stated range, all at a much lower price than equivalent missiles like the U.S.-made Tomahawk, the Flamingo has promised to dramatically enhance Ukraine's long-range strike capability.
The weapon’s navigation, accuracy, and how easily it can be shot down remain far less understood, and early results from the limited number of real-world uses have been mixed.
On Feb. 20, Ukraine used Flamingo missiles to strike the Votkinsk plant, where Russia produces the Iskander-M ballistic missile system, one of the key elements in Moscow's mid- and long-range strike arsenal.
The strike partially destroyed one of the plant's buildings, though the extent of the impact to the factory's production capacity cannot be independently verified.
