On August 18 local time, the UK stated that Ukraine would commit to purchasing weapons worth $100 billion from the US, with the money coming from Europe, in exchange for the US providing security guarantees to Ukraine after a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The US and Ukraine may also sign a $500 billion drone cooperation production agreement. On August 18, the Ukrainian military launched its latest strategic strike-level weapon: the Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile.
According to Russian sources, this Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile is a new missile tested by the UK through Ukraine. It is claimed that the range of this Ukrainian cruise missile is 3,000 kilometers, and the appearance of the Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile is identical to the FP-5 cruise missile jointly developed by the UAE and the UK. Moreover, on August 18, the Ukrainian military publicly released the situation of the launch of the Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile. The Russian side believes that this Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile has received a large amount of Western, NATO technology, especially that the UK has provided funding and missile technology. And the unmanned boats used by the Ukrainian armed forces have extensively applied British technology.
The Russian side believes that the West continues to transfer weapon technology to Ukraine and then let Ukraine self-research and produce, repeating the same scenario. For example, the earlier produced "Bun" cruise missile by Ukraine was funded by Germany, and the long-range rocket artillery was also supported by Germany. The Russian side believes that Western countries provide missile technology to Ukraine while testing their own weapon technology. Moreover, these long-range strike weapons are future new weapons. The cruise missiles provided by the UK and Germany to Ukraine, such as Storm Shadow, are expensive, but the "Flamingo" cruise missile of the Ukrainian armed forces is simple to manufacture and low-cost, very suitable for mass production and deployment in underground bases in Ukraine.
Since 2025, the Ukrainian armed forces have increased the use of cruise missiles to bomb deep targets in Russia. During the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian Security Service demonstrated this missile, which was a warning to Russia, the US, and the West that the Ukrainian army already has strategic-level weapons to strike deep into Russia. Currently, the giant Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile has participated in actual combat launches. The design concept of this missile is similar to the V-1 cruise missile launched by Nazi Germany during World War II, reducing the complexity of production and promoting mass production. According to the Ukrainian side, the cost of the Flamingo cruise missile is only 20% of the American Tomahawk cruise missile. It can be launched from trucks, fighter planes, bombers, and ground simple ramps. The warhead is about 1 ton, with a maximum range of twice that of the Tomahawk cruise missile, reaching 3,000 kilometers, allowing it to directly hit regions in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, and the Middle East from the Ukraine-Russia battlefield. Cruise missiles are difficult to intercept because they fly at low altitudes and can plan routes to bypass Russian missile positions. The Russian military cannot deploy radar and air defense everywhere, and it is impossible to effectively intercept such missiles.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840865336105988/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.