Ukraine hits key Roscosmos facility with Flamingo missiles, strikes Savasleyka airbase, Zelensky says

Ukrainian forces struck Russia's Savasleyka military airbase and a key Roscosmos facility in Samara Oblast using domestically produced Flamingo missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 15.

"The Savasleyka airfield, where the carriers of Russian missiles that strike our cities and villages are based, was also reached by our long-range sanctions," Zelensky said. "It is about 700 kilometers from Ukraine," he added.

MiG-31K fighter jets capable of carrying Kinzhal ballistic missiles have previously been stationed at the airfield.

Explosions were also reported in the Russian city of Samara, where Ukraine struck the Progress Rocket Space Center, one of the key enterprises belonging to Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos.

"The progress center, which was involved, among other things, in producing electronics, was hit. Flamingo missiles were used — a good achievement," Zelensky said.

Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev earlier said that missiles had struck an "industrial facility" in the region without identifying the site. Authorities were still determining whether there were casualties or additional damage, he added.

Zelensky said the progress center lies around 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Ukraine's border, while the Savasleyka airbase is approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Ukraine.

The extent of the damage could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent.

Russia kills Ukrainian civilians in recurring attacks launched from its many airbases and military sites.

On Aug. 11, Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv using North Korean ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles, authorities reported. The attack killed seven workers of the Zaporizhstal steel plant and injured a total of 24 in Zaporizhzhia. One more civilian was injured in Kyiv.

A Russian ballistic missile attack on Aug. 8 killed four, including a three-year-old child, in Ukraine's capital and Kyiv Oblast. Another ballistic missile attack on Aug. 5 killed 17 people.

Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and the occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's ability to continue waging its war.

Overnight on Aug. 14, Ukrainian forces struck the Ust-Luga port in Russia's Leningrad Oblast, damaging two processing plants and sparking a fire, Ukraine's General Staff said.

The site is one of Russia's largest ports on the Baltic Sea and holds an oil terminal that serves as a major hub for the export of crude oil and petroleum products.

The Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery complex in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan was struck by Ukrainian forces the night prior on Aug. 13, the General Staff said.