In a network of clandestine facilities hidden from Russian surveillance, Ukraine is aggressively accelerating its domestic weapons production to sustain its war effort. An exclusive report by the BBC has revealed the scale of this industrial mobilization, highlighting the development of a new long-range cruise missile and the mass production of strike drones designed to bypass Western restrictions on deep strikes inside Russia.
As Kyiv faces uncertain support from international allies and prospective political shifts in the United States, Ukrainian manufacturers have taken the initiative to secure their own supply chains. According to the report, 90% of the drones used for long-range strikes are now manufactured domestically. In one facility alone, workers are producing 200 drone fuselages daily.
The centerpiece of this new arsenal is a cruise missile dubbed the “Flamingo,” which manufacturers claim possesses a range of nearly 2,500 kilometers. Iryna Terekh, the Technical Director of Fire Point, a company involved in the production, offered a stark explanation for the weapon’s design and purpose.
“Our Flamingos are black because they eat Russian oil refineries,” Terekh told the BBC.
The push for self-reliance comes amidst growing geopolitical anxiety regarding potential peace negotiations led by the United States. Terekh, a former architecture student who pivoted to weapons manufacturing after the invasion, expressed skepticism regarding diplomatic efforts that do not account for Ukraine’s security reality.
Responding to questions about Donald Trump’s stated intentions to end the war, Terekh was blunt. “I have no idea what’s in Donald Trump’s head,” she said, adding that she views such initiatives as “negotiations about how to force Ukraine to capitulate.”
For Terekh and her colleagues, the only viable path forward is industrial autonomy. “This is the only way to really provide security guarantees,” she stated, referring to the “production of its own weapons.”
The weaponry produced in these secret factories is already impacting the battlefield. The report confirms that these systems have struck hundreds of targets, including oil refineries, arms depots, and factories, inflicting billions of dollars in damage to the Russian economy.
However, the disparity in resources remains a significant hurdle. Ruslan, a fighter with the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, acknowledged the difficulty of competing with Russia’s vast military-industrial complex but emphasized Ukraine’s agility.
“We are scaling up very aggressively and quickly,” Ruslan said. “In any case, soon the enemy will be surprised. Unpleasantly surprised.”
While Ukraine now reportedly produces over 50% of its own weaponry, the BBC notes that the country remains dependent on Western allies for critical intelligence data and financial support to keep these assembly lines moving.