Ukraine Damages Soyuz-Maker Progress Center With FP-5 Missiles as 85% of Russian Launches Rely on Soyuz
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 17
Ukraine Damages Soyuz-Maker Progress Center With FP-5 Missiles as 85% of Russian Launches Rely on Soyuz
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 17
Summary
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit the Progress Rocket Space Center in Samara with FP-5 “Flamingo” missiles, damaging a key Roscosmos plant that assembles Soyuz rockets and produces electronics.
A direct hit reportedly sparked a fire, and imagery cited by space analyst Anatoly Zak suggests Building 106A—an avionics clean room beside a vehicle-integration facility—was struck.
More than 85% of Russian rocket launches since 2020 have used the Soyuz-2 family, making any prolonged production disruption a threat to ISS transport, satellite deployment and military space operations.
The strike adds to Roscosmos pressure after funding shortages, technical problems and wartime isolation; a senior official said in January Soyuz demand for 2027-2030 could exceed capacity by 30% to 50%.
Zelenskyy also confirmed strikes on the Savasleyka airbase and an oil facility in Ust-Luga, underscoring Ukraine’s broader campaign to degrade Russia’s launch, airstrike and energy infrastructure.
With hundreds of drones swarming Moscow, are air defenses truly intercepting them, or is the destruction far worse than officially claimed?
Why is Ukraine repeatedly targeting civilian e-commerce warehouses, and what hidden military assets might be burning inside these massive logistics hubs?