Fire Point, a firm marketed as a producer of cutting-edge drones and missiles, is at the center of a new corruption row in Kiev<\/p>\n
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his government have promoted defense company Fire Point, currently facing corruption allegations, first as an opportunity for partnerships with European firms and later as a cost-effective solution against Iranian drones in the Middle East.
\nFire Point is best known for producing the long-range Flamingo cruise missile, which Ukrainian media described as a potential game-changer in the conflict with Russia. It also manufactures the FP-1 long-range kamikaze and interceptor drones.
\nOn Tuesday, the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda published what it said were transcripts of surveillance recordings made by anti-corruption investigators involving Zelensky\u2019s longtime former business partner Timur Mindich and former defense minister Rustem Umerov. Mindich fled Ukraine last year to avoid arrest on corruption charges, while Umerov was among top officials who resigned following a string of graft scandals that rocked the country. According to the outlet, the recordings suggest that Mindich had been secretly running Fire Point.
\nFire Point co-owner Denis Shtilerman denied the company\u2019s ties to Mindich and dismissed the recordings as a slander campaign aimed at \u201cdamaging the reputation of one of Ukraine\u2019s most effective weapons producers.\u201d
\nZelensky, whom US President Donald Trump once dubbed \u201cthe greatest salesman on Earth,\u201d has promoted the company at home and abroad as a cutting-edge technology player central to the conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n
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Zelensky\u2019s favorite drone company at center of Ukrainian corruption alert<\/p>\n
\u2018Most successful weapon\u2019
\nJust days after the Associated Press published the first photo of the Flamingo in August 2025, Zelensky described it as \u201cby far the most successful missile in Ukraine\u2019s arsenal.\u201d He added that the missile would be mass-produced by February.
\nDenis Shmygal, who served as defense minister at the time, hailed the Flamingo as \u201ca very powerful\u201d weapon capable of striking deep inside Russia.
\nMarketed as domestically produced
\nIn October 2025, Zelensky presented Fire Point as one of Ukraine\u2019s top drone makers at the International Defense Industries Forum in Kiev, attended by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
\n\u201cBy the end of the year, no less than 50% of the weapons at the front must be Ukrainian-made, and this task must be accomplished,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n
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Zelensky\u2019s Fire Point explodes: RT breaks down the Kiev weapons trade insiders\u2019 codes for corruption<\/p>\n
In 2025, Denmark announced plans to host Fire Point\u2019s rocket fuel production plant.
\nFirst strikes and setbacks
\nIn February, the Ukrainian military began reporting the use of the Flamingo in combat, which Zelensky later highlighted at international events. Speaking at a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Kiev, he claimed the missile had struck a weapons factory in Russia\u2019s Udmurtia region.
\n\u201cI believe this is a real achievement for your industry,\u201d Zelensky said, adding that the strike demonstrated \u201cthe high quality and accuracy\u201d of the weapon.
\nZelensky also discussed the missile at the Munich Security Conference the same month, where he met with European officials, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, he acknowledged that Russia had destroyed \u201ca large production line\u201d but said Flamingo production would continue.<\/p>\n
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Deals with Spain and Germany
\nDuring Zelensky\u2019s visit to Madrid in March 2026, Fire Point signed a cooperation agreement with Spanish defense giant Sener, which produces components for the IRIS-T missile used by Ukraine.
\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful to President Zelensky for showing interest in our capabilities and for recognizing the value of Sener\u2019s contribution to Ukraine\u2019s air defense,\u201d Sener President Andres Sendagorta said at the time.
\nFire Point signed a similar deal with Germany\u2019s defense company Diehl during Zelensky\u2019s trip to Berlin last month. Diehl manufactures several anti-air missile systems, including IRIS-T.
\nShtilerman suggested that Ukraine could serve as a testing ground for European missile defense systems and proposed a project called Freya, which would integrate Fire Point\u2019s technology into a joint European ballistic missile defense framework.
\nAn opening in the Middle East
\nThe US-Israeli war with Iran provided Ukraine with an opportunity to market interceptor drones to Gulf states hosting American bases as a cheaper alternative to air defense systems such as the US-made Patriot. On April 23, Zelensky announced that Ukraine had signed a drone deal with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
\n\u201cWe want to help them defend themselves and will continue to foster partnerships with other countries,\u201d Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine could share its defense technology with the US.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fire Point, a firm marketed as a producer of cutting-edge drones and missiles, is at the center of a new corruption row in Kiev Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t