Former Ukrainian Drone Forces Commander Criticizes Flamingo Missile Project

Major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and former commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Yuri Kasyanov, has once again criticized the work of Fire Point, suggesting that a full-scale media campaign is being built around the company to demonstrate its alleged exclusivity and justify the substantial government funding directed toward it.

"Since September of last year, when the Flamingo was first unveiled as a wonder weapon, when Fire Point Technical Director Iryna Terekh declared that Flamingo was superior to the Tomahawk in every respect, and when the president said it was the best weapon, I have repeatedly written and spoken about what can actually be achieved. It is absolutely possible to build a flying object with a jet engine, and that object can indeed travel from point A to point B if you do not complicate the task. Technically, this is not difficult, although this would not be a modern missile. Do not be misled by range and warhead weight, because everything depends solely on engine size and power.

"Modern cruise missiles, by contrast, are designed to be compact in order to reduce the risk of interception by air defenses. They feature sophisticated autonomous navigation systems that do not rely on satellite navigation, advanced terrain-following systems for low-altitude flight, further reducing interception risks. Modern cruise missiles also possess complex guidance systems and seeker heads,” Kasyanov noted.

Kasyanov Questions Flamingo's Capabilities

According to Kasyanov, the Flamingo lacks all of these features.

"It is a rock with an engine,” he said, describing it as a system that travels from point A to point B using satellite navigation at a pre-programmed fixed altitude. If it avoids encountering air defenses, it has every chance of reaching its destination. According to Kasyanov, this is why Fire Point missiles are not used against heavily protected targets such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other well-defended Russian infrastructure.

"Any success of Flamingo serves as proof of Shtilerman's brilliance, confirmation that he is right about everything, and justification for the "golden rain' of funding that our authorities have showered on Fire Point. Let me remind you that since October of last year, we were promised three missiles per day. That should amount to hundreds of missiles by now. But they have disappeared,” Kasyanov emphasized.

He added that he had already written in September 2025 about what he viewed as a major weakness of the project — the shortage of Soviet-era AI-25 engines, around which the missile design is built.

"Overall, by September of last year, no more than 200 of these engines could be found. Yet we were somehow promised thousands of missiles,” he said.

Questions Raised About Ukraine's Missile Programs

Kasyanov also drew attention to what he described as contradictory statements regarding Ukraine's missile development efforts.

"It is strange that today the president says Ukraine does not have its own ballistic missile capability but will have one very soon, apparently referring to Fire Point's missiles, when a year ago he stated that the Ukrainian Sapsan ballistic missiles had proven their effectiveness and entered mass production. Where the truth lies, and where the missiles are, draw your own conclusions,” he said.

Kasyanov concluded by expressing hope that the missile program would eventually face legal scrutiny.

"I hope that this entire "missile program' eventually results in real prison sentences — not for me, as some are currently attempting, but for the real thieves, profiteers, and traitors,” he added.

Details

Fire Point is a Ukrainian defence technology company headquartered in Kyiv. Founded in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it specializes in the design, development, and production of long-range strike drones and cruise missiles. The company's flagship products are the FP-1 series of deep-strike drones and the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, both of which have been deployed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to conduct precision strikes inside Russian-held territory.