Russian armed forces have struck the Meridian defense factory in Kyiv, hitting an industrial site that manufactures Flamingo missiles, according to the Russian defense ministry.
Russian state news agency TASS reported that the strike targeted LLC Meridian, an enterprise named after Soviet rocket pioneer S.P. Korolev. The Russian defense ministry said the Kyiv facility is actively engaged in the production of operational-tactical weapons and Flamingo cruise missiles.
Ukrainian authorities officially designated the Meridian plant as an asset of strategic importance to the economy and national security in 2015. Located in the capital city of Kyiv, the industrial enterprise was originally established in 1953 as a specialized manufacturing center.
Meridian manufacturing and missile assembly
In addition to assembling Flamingo missiles, the factory manufactures structural body elements and critical components used in missile guidance systems. The enterprise also produces essential hardware units and subassemblies for Neptune-MD cruise missiles.
Ukraine has relied on domestically produced Neptune missiles for long-range precision strikes during the conflict, with the Neptune-MD representing an extended-range modernization of the system. Meridian has historically functioned as one of Ukraine's primary precision engineering facilities, producing high-technology measuring equipment, radio devices, and aerospace electronics.
The plant takes its name from Sergei Korolev, the Ukrainian-born aerospace engineer who directed the Soviet space program during the early Cold War, including the launch of the first artificial satellite and human spaceflight missions.
Strikes on Ukrainian defense infrastructure
The attack in Kyiv follows recent directives from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called on the Russian military to maintain a campaign of heavy, coordinated strikes across Ukraine.
Putin said Russian forces are continuing to strike military-industrial complex enterprises and critical infrastructure sites throughout Ukraine. He characterized the continuing strikes as direct retaliation for Ukrainian attacks launched against industrial facilities and commercial enterprises inside Russian borders.
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted factories, repair workshops, and energy facilities linked to Ukraine's domestic weapons manufacturing sector as part of a broader effort to disrupt arms production and military logistics.
