The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on August 28 that it had launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian military targets with a variety of weapons, including Kinzhal anti-aircraft hypersonic missiles launched from the air.
According to the announcement, a series of long-range strikes targeted a number of arms factories, military airports, and many key defense infrastructure of Ukraine. Kiev also admitted that at least 13 locations were hit by Russian missiles and drones, although it said it had intercepted most of them.
Ukrainian media said that one of the fierce explosions was recorded by a security camera in the center of Kiev. Video circulating on social media shows two missiles falling down at the same location, believed to be the headquarters of defense company Ukr Spec systems on Zhilyanskaya Street, which police immediately blocked on August 28.
Ukra Spec systems was founded in 2014, specializing in the production of long-range drones, including PD-2, a suicide UAV that has been used many times to strike deep into Russian territory, even in the capital Moscow.
Igor Zinkevich - a member of the Lviv City Council - said that Russia also hit a factory in Kiev operated by the Turkish defense corporation Bayraktar. This is the fourth time in the past 6 months that Bayraktar-related facilities have been targeted.
The attack took place just a few days after Ukrainian media reported that the country had just launched a new cruise missile production line called Flamingo.
The weapon is said to have a range of up to 3,000km, carrying a 1-ton warhead. The images released show that Flamingo has many similarities with the FP-5.5, a weapons system introduced by the Milanion Group (UK - UAE) at the defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
In early August, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) also announced its coordination with the military to conduct a sabotage operation on Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile program, causing huge damage.
Moscow has repeatedly affirmed that these special military operations aim to neutralize Ukraine's offensive capabilities, and accused the West of turning Kiev into a proxy force through arms and financial aid.
Russia believes that Ukraine's current fighting efforts are not sustainable and serve external interests rather than the Ukrainian people.
