Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the 19th Separate Missile Brigade “Saint Barbara” launched FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at the VNIIR-Progress defense electronics plant in Cheboksary, Russia, on the night of May 4 to 5.
Our long-range sanctions continue to provide an entirely just response to Russian strikes.
Last night, combat launches of F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles were carried out as part of the Armed Forces’ Deep Strike operation against several enemy targets, including military-industrial… pic.twitter.com/ndxnuIenyO
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 5, 2026
Zelensky said six missiles traveled more than 930 miles as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s “Deep Strike” operation. “The struck military production facility manufactured relay protection systems, automation equipment, and low-voltage apparatus,” he wrote on X.
Наші далекобійні санкції продовжують цілком справедливо діяти у відповідь на російські удари.
Минулої ночі були бойові пуски крилатих ракет F-5 Flamingo в межах операції Збройних Сил Deep Strike по декількох цілях ворога, зокрема по обʼєктах військово-промислового комплексу в…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 5, 2026
The plant, part of the ABS Elektro production association, supplies Kometa-M satellite navigation modules used in Shahed-series kamikaze drones, Iskander-M and Kalibr cruise missiles, aerial bomb guidance modules, and electrical systems for Yasen-M-class nuclear submarines, Ukraine’s military said.
Footage shows Ukraine’s 19th Missile Brigade “Saint Barbara” launching FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at JSC VNIIR-Progress, a Russian state research institute in Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic. https://t.co/Dr2pAZqom1 pic.twitter.com/cILeT3hZCf
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) May 5, 2026
The strike marks the brigade’s first confirmed use of cruise missiles. The 19th Saint Barbara Brigade fought the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion with Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles, striking Millerovo airbase on February 25, 2022, and destroying the Russian Navy landing ship Saratov at occupied Berdyansk in March 2022.
The unit later transitioned to M142 HIMARS systems before receiving the FP-5 Flamingo, a ground-launched cruise missile with a reported 1,865-mile range and a 2,535-pound warhead developed by Ukrainian firm Fire Point.
Satellite imagery published by open-source analysts CyberBoroshno showed a Flamingo missile piercing anti-drone netting and striking the facade of the plant’s main building. AN-196 Liutyi attack drones hit a second building in a follow-on wave, triggering fires across both structures. The extent of production losses has not been independently verified.
💥Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles and AN-196 Liutyi drones struck the production facilities of the VNIIR-Progress defense plant in the Russian city of Cheboksary, located about 1,000 km from the Ukrainian border.https://t.co/tqdkSGP3s7
— Militarnyi (@militarnyi) May 5, 2026
May 5 was the fifth confirmed Ukrainian strike on VNIIR-Progress since February 2025. The plant temporarily suspended operations following an attack on June 9, 2025. “Russia must end its war and turn to diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
