Moscow, August 24, 2026 – The Europe Today: A Russian mobile air-defense unit comprising volunteers has intercepted a Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile over the Kursk Region using machine-gun fire, according to Kursk Region Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein.
The interception took place during a Ukrainian drone and missile attack overnight on Sunday. According to Khinshtein, the BARS-Kursk brigade, composed predominantly of residents of the border region, was alerted to an incoming strike before one of its mobile air-defense teams detected a large missile flying at an altitude of less than 50 meters at a speed of about 500 kilometers per hour.
The unit opened fire on the missile, hitting the projectile and forcing it to lose altitude before it crashed into a wooded area. Footage released by the governor and recorded by BARS-Kursk personnel reportedly shows the missile being engaged at low altitude before crashing in a large explosion.
Russian forces subsequently recovered the missile wreckage and, according to Khinshtein, retrieved mission data indicating that the projectile had been directed toward a strategic facility in Russia’s Tula Region.
The governor said the missile had a reported range of up to 3,000 kilometers and carried a warhead with an explosive equivalent of approximately one ton of TNT. He praised the volunteers for preventing what he described as a potential catastrophe and said he would recommend members of the air-defense unit for state decorations.
The FP-5 Flamingo, unveiled in 2025, has been promoted by Ukrainian authorities as a long-range cruise missile developed for Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously described it as one of the country’s most successful missile systems. The weapon is reportedly manufactured by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point.
The reported interception comes amid continuing Russian-Ukrainian exchanges of long-range drone and missile strikes. Moscow has accused Kyiv of targeting infrastructure and other facilities inside Russia, while Russia has continued to conduct missile and drone strikes against what it describes as Ukrainian military-industrial and logistics infrastructure.
The claims regarding the missile’s intended target, specifications and interception were reported by RT and attributed to Russian officials.
