In a bold military maneuver, Ukraine executed a powerful cruise missile attack on one of Russia’s principal arms manufacturing sites on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted with confidence that Ukraine was far from losing the ongoing war.
This audacious night-time assault targeted the Votkinsk machine building plant, a key Kremlin-operated facility specializing in the production of Moscow’s ballistic missiles. Situated 860 miles deep within Russian territory, this strike represents Ukraine’s furthest reach into Russia using its own domestically developed weaponry.
The operation involved the deployment of Flamingo missiles, which boast an impressive range of nearly 1,900 miles. These missiles even surpass the range of the US Tomahawk missiles that Ukraine had previously sought to acquire during negotiations with the Trump administration.
In a curious prelude to the attack, the missile manufacturer released a video showcasing the launch, accompanied by a mysterious message: “No context. Context – later.”
Following the strike, Denys Shtilierman, co-owner of Firepoint, the company behind the Flamingo missile, provided clarity. He took to social media to remark, “And here is the context,” while sharing the Ukrainian military’s confirmation of the successful strike.
Reports from the scene described thick columns of smoke billowing from the factory, with local residents recounting the sound of at least three powerful explosions overnight, alongside shattered windows in nearby buildings.
Zelensky, meanwhile, announced from Kyiv’s presidential palace that his forces had liberated more than 100 miles of Moscow-occupied territory in a counteroffensive in the south of Ukraine.
“You can’t say that we’re losing the war,” Zelensky told the AFP in an exclusive interview Friday. “Honestly, we’re definitely not losing it, definitely.”
“The question is whether we will win,” he added. “That is the question — but it’s a very costly question.”
His comments came as the deadliest conflict since World War II nears the grim four-year anniversary since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.
Trilateral talks with the US in Geneva earlier this week failed to make any progress.
Territorial concessions remain the sticking point, with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin refusing to budge on his demand to control the entirety of the frontline mineral-rich Donbas region — a nonstarter for Kyiv, which says agreeing on a cease-fire based on the existing military positions is the more pragmatic option.
“Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbas,” Zelensky said.
Moscow has seized all of Luhansk and 80% of Donestk — the two eastern Ukraine regions that make up the Donbas.
The next round of trilateral talks has not been set, but Zelensky said he hopes for more negotiations before the end of the month.
“It is already our compromise that we are speaking with the aggressor about compromises,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X. “They took almost 20% of our territory. And we are ready to speak about peace at this moment, on the basis of ‘Stay where we stay.’ This is a big compromise.
“What does Russia offer us as a compromise? They said, ‘We are ready not to occupy your other regions.’ But it is terrorism. Even that language, it is terrorism. ‘I’m ready not to kill you – give us everything.’”
