Khinstein: BARS-Kursk fighters shot down a Flamingo rocket with a machine gun
Russian volunteers shot down a Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile with a machine gun. Mash reported that this is the first time that a long-range projectile has been destroyed with small arms. According to Alexander Khinstein, the governor of the Kursk region, the FP-5 was flying at an altitude of less than 50 meters at a speed of up to 500 km/h, Russian fighters opened fire to kill, after which the Flamingo fell and detonated in a wooded area. The details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
The Russian military shot down a Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile with a machine gun. This was announced by Alexander Khinshtein, Governor of the Kursk region.
"This unique case is an example of what a Russian soldier is capable of. An unprecedented situation occurred the day before: volunteers from the mobile firing group (MOG) of the BARS-Kursk brigade machine-gunned down an enemy FP—5 Flamingo long-range cruise missile," the head of the region said.
The Telegram channel Mash reported that
Khinstein noted that the BARS-Kursk fighters received a signal about enemy missiles at about three o'clock in the morning. After that, they noticed the target — the Flamingo was flying at an altitude of less than 50 meters at a speed of up to 500 km/h.
According to him, the wreckage of the rocket, in particular its flight controller, confirmed that it was launched from the Sumy region and flew to a strategic facility in the Tula region.
"Our volunteers didn't just shoot down a rocket. They prevented a terrible thing and saved human lives. We will definitely introduce our volunteers from BARS.‑Kursk is ready for awards," the head of the region emphasized.
What is known about the Flamingos?
The FP-5 Flamingo missile is the latest development of the Ukrainian defense industry, introduced in 2025. According to the stated characteristics, its flight range is up to 3,000 km, and its maximum speed is 950 km/h. The weight of the warhead reaches 1000 kg.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called "Flamingo" a great success. The Fire Point manufacturing company, as the British magazine The Economist wrote, insisted that "the enemy would be shocked" when the missile became widespread. However, Fire Point's competitors doubted its actual technical characteristics.
According to media reports, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began using these missiles to attack Russia in early October 2025. On October 9, military blogger Alexei Voevoda reported that the Russian military had shot down the first FP-5.
At the same time, at the end of April 2026, the Ukrainian specialized publication Oboronka, citing data from OSINT analysts, revealed that Flamingo had only two verified hits out of 23 launches. In other cases, the missiles were either shot down or they fell near the targets. As the German magazine Focus wrote, Russia is actively using A-50U long-range radar detection and control aircraft to intercept missiles. Their radar allows them to detect low-flying targets at an earlier date, after which the data is transmitted to ground-based air defense calculations.
"Low altitude is the price that Flamingo pays for range, and while the product is above the frontline, it passes through the densest section of our anti—aircraft fire. Kiev is selling this missile as a means of transferring the war to the depths of Russia. Its effectiveness will now have to be adjusted for the calculation with a machine gun on the body, which worked out cheaper than any guidance unit," said military correspondent Alexander Kotz.
Eva Vishnevskaya
