Ukrainian Major General (ret.) Serhii Kryvonos shared his opinions on Espreso TV.“The biggest problem is that over the past year people have talked too much about missile programs and often said too much — this draws the attention of Russian intelligence, which successfully tracks our actions and has time to develop countermeasures,” Kryvonos stressed.According to the retired major general, cruise missiles will be effective only when their numbers exceed the number of Russian air-defense interceptors. But mass production is not currently on the agenda.“The president finally said the truth for the first time — that mass production of Flamingo missiles is not on the table. These missiles could have been produced in much larger quantities. Neptune was previously produced by the Luch design bureau, but after active audits by our agencies at enterprises, there were mass strikes on those facilities following their inspections. Not only Luch suffered, but also related enterprises. No one was held accountable for the information leaks and for the deaths. On that day alone, 34 people died at Luch,” Kryvonos recalled.He added that even at the end of 2023, the state did not pay sufficient attention to missile programs, did not fund these projects at the required levels, and did not protect them.“When the Russians delivered powerful strikes on Luch and Pivdenne design bureaus, our foreign partners asked why we still had not moved missile production abroad. It would be much safer and more effective overseas. For now we have to hide and camouflage these enterprises, so Russian missiles won’t strike them again. And no political leaders must visit these enterprises to stage another PR stunt. Because as soon as someone comes to promote themselves there, missiles hit afterward,” Kryvonos concluded.Ukrainian Flamingo missile: backgroundThe Flamingo’s warhead weighs 1,150 kg and its range exceeds 3,000 km. The missile is protected against Russian electronic warfare systems and its top speed reaches 950 km/h.Less than nine months passed from development to combat use. According to Iryna Terekh, CEO and technical director of the manufacturer Fire Point, the missile is already being produced in series, with planned output of about 200 units per month.On August 21, 2025, the Associated Press reported that current production is one missile per day, but output will grow.On August 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Flamingo tests were successful and mass production will start early next year, while noting that the program’s pace depends directly on funding.On August 31, it was reported that Ukrainian strategic cruise missiles Flamingo carried out their first public mass volley against targets in territory controlled by the Russians.