What happened
At a briefing during the Munich Security Conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that a Russian missile strike destroyed one of the large production lines for the cruise missiles “Flamingo”. He added that production has already been relocated and a partial recovery has begun.
"We had technical problems. Between you and me, one of our large production lines was destroyed by rockets — Russian rockets. Now I can speak about it because production has already been relocated and they have begun to partially restore it. The restart is underway"
— Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
Confirmation and operational context
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 5 February 2026 reported that Ukrainian forces used “Flamingo” missiles against the infrastructure of the Russian test range “Kapustin Yar”. As a result of the strikes, damage to technical facilities and a storage facility was recorded.
According to the president, these missiles recently successfully struck targets in the area from which the Russian Federation launches ballistic missiles “Oreshnik”. Thus, “Flamingo” demonstrate practical value for strike operations against the enemy’s vulnerable nodes.
Why it matters
In short: the loss of one production line reduces the pace of output of critically needed missiles. Relocation and partial recovery are an operational response, but so far they compensate only part of the losses. That is why the president stresses the need to accelerate the scaling up of production.
Defense industry analysts note that resilience to such strikes is determined not only by individual hits on targets, but by the industry's ability to quickly restore capacity and ramp up munitions production.
Consequences and short-term outlook
- Fact: a production line was destroyed by a missile strike and has already been relocated;
- Operation: “Flamingo” showed effectiveness in striking enemy infrastructure (Kapustin Yar, targets near “Oreshnik”);
- Conclusion: acceleration of production and strengthening the protection of critical defense-industry infrastructure are necessary, as well as coordination with partners for stable supplies of components.
Plain conclusion: relocation offers a chance to preserve the production chain and support the front in the short term, but for stability additional resources, political will, and technical support from partners are required. It will depend on this whether the tactical effectiveness of “Flamingo” turns into a systemic advantage for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
