Active Conflicts & News Megathread August 22, 2025

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[u/johnbrooder3006]

A major disadvantage Ukraine has faced since 2022 is trying to restore/maintain military hardware production under constant threats of Russian aerial attacks. Expectedly they’ve relied on western exports which arrive out of the box and ready to use from NATO protected countries. They also domestically produce FPV’s in pop up workshops across the country, fortunately these are relatively mobile and can be shifted quickly. However anything larger than that becomes an enormous liability, and it got me thinking since the announcement of their Flamingo missile. Several accurate strikes on the manufacturing plant could be absolutely catastrophic (I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they were looking for in western Ukraine two nights ago). My question is, can Ukraine lease warehouses in adjacent NATO countries to rebuild their own heavy weapon systems? Sure there’s logistical issues but the benefits would definitely outweigh the cost. No doubt Russia could say escalation but how’s it different to a storm shadow being manufactured on NATO soil then sent across the border ready to fire?

[u/BigFly42069 → u/johnbrooder3006]

The Flamingo missile uses the AI-25TL turbofan engine, which is produced by Motor Sich. The company has factories in Zaphorizhzhia, Snizhne, and Volochysk. Of the three sites, Snizhne is in Donetsk, and the only biggest operator of the AI-25TL is the L-39 Albatros, where the only western operator is the Czech Republic.

For now, what Ukraine is doing is ripping these old AI-25TLs out from their domestic supplies to put into the Flamingo, but eventually they'll run up against a dwindling supply.

So it makes sense for them to concentrate as much of the production as they can in a single place. Because if they were to disperse production, they won't achieve the scale necessary to actually put out the numbers they need right now.

If Ukraine shifts production to NATO countries, there is still a need to transport munitions from said NATO countries to Ukraine and to the frontlines. The increase in logistical burden decreases availability of munitions due to physics (longer supply line takes more time to move things), and they need the fires now so they can accept this trade off in risk.