Ukraine puts a second Flamingo into the plant that keeps Russia's Shaheds on target
Kyiv's homegrown cruise missile returned to Cheboksary and hit VNIIR-Progress, the sanctioned producer of Kometa anti-jamming antennas that steer Russia's drones, missiles and glide bombs through Ukrainian jamming.
Kyiv's homegrown cruise missile returned to Cheboksary and hit VNIIR-Progress, the sanctioned producer of Kometa anti-jamming antennas that steer Russia's drones, missiles and glide bombs through Ukrainian jamming.
Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles struck the VNIIR-Progress electronics plant in Cheboksary early on June 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in a statement carried by Kyiv Post. The General Staff said missile and artillery units of the Ground Forces fired them. It is the second Flamingo strike on the site in five weeks, after a May 5 hit on its administrative building.
The plant sits in Russia's Chuvash Republic, roughly 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Per the General Staff, it builds Kometa-series anti-jamming antennas and satellite navigation receivers for GLONASS, GPS and Galileo. Those modules fly on Shahed-type attack drones, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and UMPK glide bomb kits, Militarnyi reported. The Kometa head is Russia's standard answer to Ukrainian jamming. Cut its supply and every weapon in that list gets easier to spoof off target.
Fire burned near the main production building, OSINT outlet ASTRA assessed from strike footage. Streets around the factory were blocked through mid-morning, Defence Blog reported. The damage total is unverified. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed 326 drones downed across 20 regions overnight, reported no missile interceptions, and acknowledged no damage.
After the May strike, management draped the site in camouflage and anti-drone netting, ASTRA noted. Netting answers the Liutyi drones that have hit the plant repeatedly since June 2025. It does nothing against a cruise missile arriving at treetop height.
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Subscribe Free →The same wave hit the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara, Zelensky said, filing both under what he calls Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" campaign. The missile doing the work comes from Fire Point, the Kyiv firm that revealed the Flamingo in August 2025; chief designer Denys Shtilerman posted a launch image hours after the strike. The company showed the missile and its road-mobile launcher at SAHA Expo in Istanbul this year, hunting export customers.
Watch for the follow-up pattern: VNIIR-Progress has now been struck from the air at least six times, and each repeat raises the question of whether Kometa output, and the strike weapons that depend on it, can hold serial rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the VNIIR-Progress plant make?
Kometa-series anti-jamming antennas and satellite navigation receivers for GLONASS, GPS and Galileo, per Ukraine's General Staff. The modules are fitted to Shahed-type drones, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and UMPK glide bomb kits, Militarnyi reported.
What weapon was used in the June 10 strike?
FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, confirmed by President Zelensky and by Ukraine's General Staff, which credited missile and artillery units of the Ground Forces. The Flamingo is built by the Ukrainian firm Fire Point.
How badly was the plant damaged?
Unverified. OSINT outlet ASTRA assessed from footage that fire burned near the main production building, and Defence Blog reported blocked streets and a building still burning by mid-morning. Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged no damage.
Has this plant been hit before?
Yes. Flamingo missiles struck it on May 5, per Defence Blog, and Militarnyi has documented repeated drone strikes since June 2025, including one that temporarily halted production. The June 10 strike is at least the sixth air attack on the site.
Why do the Kometa antennas matter?
They are controlled-reception-pattern antennas that let Russian drones, missiles and glide bombs resist Ukrainian electronic warfare and stay on course. Degrading their production makes Russian precision weapons easier to jam, per Ukrainian and OSINT reporting.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.