Overview
- Multiple OSINT groups, local eyewitnesses, Russian investigative outlets and Fire Point’s co‑owner reported that an FP‑5 Flamingo cruise missile struck the Avitek (Vyatka Machine‑Building Enterprise) plant in Kirov on Friday, causing explosions and a major fire.
- Local authorities and regional reporting said the attack killed at least six people and injured about 26 others as emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
- Avitek is part of the Almaz‑Antey conglomerate and manufactures aviation components and pilot ejection seats as well as surface‑to‑air guided missiles, and the plant is listed under international sanctions for supplying Russia’s military industry.
- The strike continues a pattern of long‑range Flamingo attacks that hit defense‑industrial targets inside Russia, following reported Flamingo strikes in Cheboksary and Volgograd in June.
- Reports differ on how far Kirov is from Ukraine’s border—approximately 900 km in some accounts and about 1,200 km in others—which highlights the missile’s very long reach and the likely need for Russia to change how it protects deep‑rear factories and their civilian workforces.