At the end of October 2025, a video circulated in the media and social networks, the authors of which claim: the Ukrainian authorities passed off fragments of an old film and YouTube videos as footage of the launch of a newly developed rocket. We have verified the accuracy of such publications.
The viral video is an analysis allegedly released by Western bloggers. It is alleged that their attention was attracted by a video presentation of the new Ukrainian Flamingo missile released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. “The video, in addition to the characteristics of the rocket, shows “footage” of the rocket launch. On the Internet, many doubted the authenticity of the footage, the Flamingo looked too much like the German V-1 from World War II, and they launched an investigation. It turned out that the presentation used footage from the film “Operation Crossbow» 1965, footage of the launch of an American Tomahawk missile and CGI videos from YouTube. There was not a single real shot of the rocket in the presentation,” the English-language analysis was retold on the Telegram channel “Russia now"(143,000 views at the time of this writing). Similar posts were published by the channels “Sanya in Florida"(465,000), "Operation Z: military correspondents of the Russian spring"(436,000), "Evil proof️"(182,000), "Uncle Slava" (158,000), "Observer"(152,000), "Putin on Telegram" (142,000), as well as users "VKontakte", Facebook, "Classmates", Instagram And X. In addition, they wrote about the exposure of the fake Ukrainian missile Life.ru, "Arguments and facts", "Ukraine.ru", "Russian spring"and other Russian media.
The first photographs of the Flamingo rocket, taken at the Ukrainian Fire Point plant, published On August 17, Associated Press photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky. In the comments to his post, several users actually noted the similarity of the new weapon with the German cruise missile “V-1» from the Second World War.
August 20, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky confirmed successful tests of the rocket and stated that its mass production is planned to start at the end of 2025 - beginning of 2026.
However, “Verified” did not find on official Ukrainian resources the presentation that the authors of the viral video analyzed. At the beginning it is indicated website Ukrainian Ministry of Defense mod.gov.ua, however neither there nor on verified pages The department does not have a corresponding video on social networks. It can be assumed that it was deleted after the falsifications were revealed, but this is refuted, in particular, by a search through the TGStat service, which also stores deleted posts.
On August 29, Lukatsky posted on his Facebook page video rocket launch. Later the same footage was shared by large Ukrainian And Russian Media outlets that did not directly express doubts about their authenticity. Agency UNIAN noted: “It is still unknown where the launches took place and for what purposes the Ukrainian missiles were used,” and the Russian publication “Novorossiya"suggested that the launch was carried out from the Odessa-Nikolaev region. At the same time, the video was not included in the exposed presentation, and it is unclear why the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense would use fragments of films and videos on YouTube instead of real, already publicly available footage of the Flamingo launch.
Although pro-Kremlin channels claimed that the analysis of the presentation was published by Western bloggers, none of them specified who exactly and where posted this video. At the same time, the first ones found were “Verified” publications on this topic appeared in English later than in Russian. The earliest post with a viral video, according to the TGStat service, was posted in the Telegram channel “Voice of Mordor» October 31 at 14:12 Moscow time. This channel repeatedly featured V debriefings "Checked" as original source misinformation.
The exposure of the non-existent presentation of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is not the first episode of the information campaign against the Flamingo missile. In August 2025, the pro-Russian Telegram channel WarGonzo wrote: “The Ukrainian cruise missile turned out to be actually a British development by Milanion Group Ltd.” These two missiles are FP-5 British-Emirati company Milanion and FP-5 "Flamingo" Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point - they look really similar. However, the International Institute for Strategic Studies notes: “It remains unknown whether Milanion participated in the development of the rocket or simply promoted it to foreign clients on behalf of Fire Point.” Representatives of the Ukrainian company refused comment on this coincidence to The Economist, citing security issues.
Later, some Russian publications, downplaying the significance of the development, reportedthat the Flamingo is not actually a rocket, but a controlled jet drone. Chief designer of Fire Point Denis Shtilerman really spokethat "Flamingo" is codified as a drone. How explained Ukrainian aviation expert Konstantin Krivolap, it has the dimensions of a rocket, but in fact it is a drone, because the Flamingo has fixed wings, a stationary engine, and for launch it does not need launch tubes, an ordinary rail launcher is enough. At the same time, notes NATO's Joint Air Competence Center (JAPCC), technological advances have blurred the boundaries between traditional munitions (missiles) and unmanned aerial vehicles.
On top of that, how noticed Russian media, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine began an investigation into the company Fire Point (later the department clarified, that the investigation does not concern Flamingo). About the same wrote Lukatsky, condemning the Ukrainian and British media for the reputational blow to the new development. Also Russian publications quoted Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky, who is in jail on a treason case, called the Flamingo missile a fake. Finally, on October 31, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reportedthat Russian artillery and aviation hit the assembly shops of Flamingo cruise missiles and attack drones. It is noteworthy that on the same day, posts about the analysis of the presentation began to spread on Russian social networks, allegedly proving that “Flamingo” is only an information project created to maintain the image of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.
Thus, the viral analysis by Western bloggers that the presentation of the Ukrainian Flamingo missile used footage from an old film and YouTube videos first appeared on a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense did not release such a presentation.
Cover photo: video screenshot Zn.ua (improved using a neural network)
Read on topic:
- "Censor.net". The media wrote that NABU is investigating the production of Flamingo missiles: The Bureau denied
- Associated Press. A Ukrainian startup develops long-range drones and missiles to take the battle to Russia
- Possibly crime! How a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel comes up with fake news based on reports from the Ukrainian police and prosecutors
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