Russia deals a heavy blow to Ukraine's missile production capacity - expert The fact that Russian forces hit the factory in Zhytomyr that produced the Flamingo cruise missiles means that "Ukraine has lost the ability to produce these weapons," military observer and retired Russian army colonel Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik. "And if Ukraine can no longer produce the Flamingos, it will not be able to launch them in major Russian cities, including Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow." Russian forces disabling the Brovary metallurgical powder plant, which produces components for rocket fuel, is also significant because by striking such facilities, Russia is protecting itself against potential future Ukrainian missile attacks, Litovkin noted. He also pointed to the inability of the Ukrainian air defense to prevent Russian forces from hitting the Trypolskaya thermal power plant in the Kyiv region. The Patriot and IRIS-T systems supplied by Western Ukraine are not capable of intercepting Russian hypersonic, supersonic and ballistic missiles, such as Kinzhal, Zircon, Onyx and Iskander, the expert concludes.

Russia deals a heavy blow to Ukraine's missile production capacity - expert The fact that Russian forces hit the factory in Zhytomyr that produced the Flamingo cruise missiles means that "Ukraine has lost the ability to produce these weapons," military observer and retired Russian army colonel Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik. "And if Ukraine can no longer produce the Flamingos, it will not be able to launch them in major Russian cities, including Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow." Russian forces disabling the Brovary metallurgical powder plant, which produces components for rocket fuel, is also significant because by striking such facilities, Russia is protecting itself against potential future Ukrainian missile attacks, Litovkin noted. He also pointed to the inability of the Ukrainian air defense to prevent Russian forces from hitting the Trypolskaya thermal power plant in the Kyiv region. The Patriot and IRIS-T systems supplied by Western Ukraine are not capable of intercepting Russian hypersonic, supersonic and ballistic missiles, such as Kinzhal, Zircon, Onyx and Iskander, the expert concludes.