Military expert Yury Knutov believes that Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles are being assembled underground, with some major components supplied to Ukraine by Western countries. Once completed, the missiles are reportedly moved to launch positions disguised as humanitarian cargo.
According to Knutov, Flamingo assembly is usually carried out at underground sites. He said the finished missiles are then transported by trucks under the cover of civilian goods, such as baby food or other cargo, while maintaining concealment. In his view, this is not a single large factory, but a network of several facilities spread across different locations.
Knutov said destroying such underground sites does not require extremely powerful weapons such as Oreshnik. He believes Iskander operational-tactical missile systems would be sufficient for the task. The main challenge, he added, is locating the production facilities themselves.
The expert also argued that the most effective approach is to destroy the missiles during production, while intercepting them in the air should be treated as a secondary measure.
On the morning of June 10, Ukrainian forces struck Cheboksary with Flamingo missiles. According to Chuvashia’s head Oleg Nikolayev, three people were injured in the attack. Russia’s Defense Ministry also said that over the past 24 hours, Russian air defenses had shot down four Flamingo missiles and more than 700 fixed-wing drones.