Expert: Ukraine’s Flamingo Missiles Could Shift Balance Only in Large Numbers
Retired Colonel Matviychuk says Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles pose risks but doubts Kyiv’s capacity for mass production, stressing Russia won’t allow deployment.
Retired Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk believes that Ukraine’s planned production of its new Flamingo ballistic missiles could only shift the balance of power in the conflict zone if the country manages to manufacture them in large numbers. In his view, Kyiv does not currently have the industrial capacity to sustain such output.
He explained that the effectiveness of these missiles depends entirely on how many eventually reach the battlefield, stressing that Ukraine’s existing production capabilities are insufficient to equip its forces with the systems on a mass scale, according to remarks cited by Lenta.ru.
Matviychuk described the Flamingo as a highly dangerous weapon, pointing to its range of up to 3,000 kilometers. He added that the missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and did not rule out the possibility that Kyiv could attempt to use it for delivering a so-called «dirty bomb».
At the same time, the expert expressed confidence that Russia would not allow Ukraine to launch mass production of these missiles. He argued that Ukraine would need to manufacture at least 500 Flamingo systems before they could have any meaningful impact on the course of the fighting.