Military factory in Russia's Kirov in flames after reported Flamingo attack, local authorities report casualties

A major factory producing missile and aviation parts in the Russian city of Kirov was damaged in a Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missile strike that left six dead and dozens more injured, Russian and Ukrainian authorities as well as local media reported on July 24.

Early in the morning, Kirov Oblast Governor Aleksandr Sokolov reported a missile attack on the city, located almost 800 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

Soon after — despite harsh penalties for uploading the results of such strikes in Russia — photos and videos emerged on Telegram channels showing smoke rising from the Avitek factory in the north of the city.

Avitek, part of Russian defense production giant Almaz-Antey, produces interceptor missiles for Soviet-era air defense systems including Tor and Osa, which are used in Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as other miscellaneous aircraft parts.

Six factory workers were killed in the attack, and another 26 injured, Sokolov said in the afternoon, adding that the fire had been extinguished.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strike on Kirov, adding that the factory was making "components for the occupier's aircraft and missile systems, which are used, in particular, in the massive attacks against our cities and communities."

Flamingo producer Fire Point posted a video of the launch, confirming previous reports that it was one of the company's signature cruise missiles that damaged the facility.

Kirov is located 1,200 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory. Of Ukraine's known arsenal of missiles it could only be in the range of Flamingo.

The strike was part of a larger mass attack on Russian territory, which included the destruction of three more warehouses of Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries.

Over the past year, Ukraine has steadily escalated missile and drone strikes deep inside Russia, targeting oil and gas infrastructure, defense production, and other key logistical enterprises.

While drones are often used for soft and flammable targets like oil refineries, the Flamingo cruise missiles, with their 1,000+ kilogram warhead, are usually reserved for larger military parts factories.

In one of the largest recent uses of the weapon, Flamingo missiles struck the Titan-Barrikady military plant in Volgograd on June 27.

The factory produces launchers for Russian ballistic missiles, including the Iskander system as well as strategic nuclear-capable Yars and Topol missiles.