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Ukraine strikes Russian Soyuz rocket factory in Samara with long-range Flamingo missiles
Ukraine has struck the Progress rocket-space center in Samara, Russia, using FP-5 “Flamingo” missiles, according to the defense technology company Fire Point . The attack, carried out overnight on Saturday, August 15, targeted one of Russia’s main aerospace facilities.
The Progress facility is known for developing and manufacturing medium-class launch vehicles, particularly the Soyuz-2 series, as well as producing satellites used for Earth observation and scientific missions. Located within the Aviakor aircraft manufacturing complex, the site stretches nearly a kilometer in length and encompasses a vast network of assembly halls.
According to reporting by Defense Express , the Samara plant is responsible for the entire technological process of building launch vehicles for Russian military satellites. The strike reportedly hit an area where the final stages of rocket assembly occur, raising the likelihood that both unique production equipment and nearly completed Soyuz rockets were destroyed in the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had delivered a powerful blow to Russia, striking one of Roscosmos’ most important enterprises in the Samara region. “Flamingo missiles were used-this is a significant achievement,” Zelensky said, noting the distance from the Ukrainian border to the target is about 900 kilometers.
He added that “long-range sanctions” were also imposed across 700 kilometers, reaching the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, where MiG-31K missile carriers are based. Another strike traveled over 800 kilometers to damage a fuel facility in the settlement of Ust-Luga, Leningrad region.
“Our plan for sustained sanctions against Russia in this war is working,” Zelensky emphasized, thanking those responsible for the precision of the strikes. He stated that lasting peace can be achieved by systematically weakening Russia’s military potential and inflicting direct damage on crucial assets.
Additionally, there were confirmed attacks on an oil facility in Ust-Luga, more than 800 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. Zelensky praised Ukrainian forces for their accuracy, describing the strikes as part of a broader campaign to impose long-range “sanctions” on Russia, aiming to diminish Moscow’s military capability. “The world needs peace, and Russia should see that as concrete damage to their assets,” Zelensky stated.
Ukraine’s General Staff, which also reported the successful strikes, said a fire broke out at the “Progress” center following the attack, with the full extent of the damage still being assessed.
The “Progress Rocket and Space Center” produces the “Soyuz” family of rockets, which Russia uses to launch satellites for military, intelligence, and communications purposes. The Soyuz-2.1b, for example, is used to deploy the “Rassvet” satellite constellation-Russia’s answer to Starlink-which provides broadband satellite communications for Russian forces.
In addition to launch vehicles, “Progress” manufactures remote sensing satellites that are used for Russian military reconnaissance.
A fire also broke out at the Savasleyka airfield after the strike. The air base serves as a home to MiG-31K interceptor jets, which are capable of carrying Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” hypersonic missiles, and is frequently used for launching airstrikes against Ukraine.
