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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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A video circulating on Russian and Ukrainian social media channels purports to show the moment a Ukrainian FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missile struck a state-owned missile plant in Votkinsk, more than 800 miles from the border.
The Flamingo is a domestically made long-range missile and Kyiv is seeking to drastically increase its production so it does not have to rely as heavily on persuading allies to provide similar weapons.
Ukraine sees the capacity to regularly strike targets deep into Russia as key to increasing the pressure on the Kremlin to end its full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.
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The surveillance camera footage was first shared on Telegram by a Russian-language channel called "Spy Dossier." It claimed to show the Ukrainian strike on Friday, February 20. Newsweek could not independently verify the footage.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Saturday that it had struck the Votkinsk plant with an FP-5.
They said the plant is used to produce ballistic missiles, including nuclear-capable and intercontinental-range systems, among them the Yars, Bulava, Iskander-M, and Kinzhal types.
"A fire was recorded on the facility’s premises. The results are being clarified," the general staff said in the update.
Ukraine unveiled the Flamingo in August 2025, touting the weapon as Kyiv's "most successful missile" and a "very powerful" tool in the country's arsenal. The cruise missile is thought by analysts to have a range of roughly 1,860 miles.
Western-made weapons provided to Kyiv have often come wrapped up in restrictions around striking Russian soil—designed to assuage fears about escalating the war—but domestically manufactured missiles don't have these limitations.
Previous videos emerging from Votkinsk showed the aftermath of the Ukrainian strike.
Satellite images shared by Ukrainian military analysts CyberBoroshno showed the damage caused to the Votkinsk plant in before-and-after photos.
Ukraine Strike on Votkinsk
The Votkinsk attack in Russia’s Udmurt Republic left 11 people wounded, three of whom were hospitalized, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Bagin, the local health minister.
“One of the republic’s facilities was attacked by drones” launched by Ukraine, regional head Alexander Brechalov said in another Telegram post. He added that the strike caused injuries and damage, but did not identify the site or give further details.
An unofficial Russian news channel on Telegram, Astra, likewise said earlier on Saturday that the strike targeted the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, a major state defense enterprise.
Astra said its claim was based on an analysis of footage from residents.
Another unofficial Russian Telegram channel, SHOT, which often quotes contacts in the security services, said residents of Votkinsk reported hearing at least three blasts during the night, as well as what they thought was the humming of drones.
On Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had damaged launching sites for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles over the previous day, among other military targets.
The ministry's statement did not make reference to the Votkinsk missile plant or any Ukrainian strikes in the area.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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