A flight test of Ukraine’s FP-7 ballistic missile in February 2026
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Thursday’s Coverage: Russia Attacks Kyiv’s Energy Infrastructure
UPDATE 1855 GMT:
At least two women, aged 66 and 80, were murdered and 36 injured by three Russian glide bombs on two areas of Kharkiv city on Friday afternoon.
Three of the injured are children. A residential building was “completely destroyed”.
UPDATE 1851 GMT:
A Russian drone has struck the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv for the fourth time in two days.
The latest strike was around 5:40 p.m. The bridge was still closed for traffic from an attack in the morning. The damage to the structure is not yet determined.
UPDATE 0554 GMT:
Ukraine forces reportedly struck oil facilities in Russia’s Volgograd and Samara regions overnight, with fires reported in both areas.
Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko and the Exilenova Plus monitoring channel identified the likely targets as the Volgograd Oil Refinery and the Samara oil distribution station.
The Volgograd refinery, owned by Russian energy giant Lukoil, is one of Russia’s largest processing facilities with an annual capacity of around 15 million metric tons of crude oil. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted the refinery, damaged primary and secondary units and temporarily halting production.
The Samara oil distribution station, near the settlement of Prosvet, blends different grades of crude to produce Russia’s main oil export Urals.
Ukrainian drones previously struck the station in April, causing a large fire and damaging five crude oil tanks, each with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters.
UPDATE 0554 GMT:
One civilian has been murdered and two injured in overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv.
The casualties were from a strike damaging a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district
Russian forces also attacked Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, following multiple drone strikes on the key crossing early Thursday.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has used a domestically-developed FP-7 ballistic missile against Russia for the first time.
Zelensky posted, without providing details, “Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile. FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next up: production. Glory to Ukraine!”
Asked what the missile struck, Zelensky’s communications advisor responded, “We’re not telling.”
The FP-7 has a claimed range of up to 250 km (155 miles), a top speed of 1,500 meters per second (3,355 mph), and a 200-kg (440-pound) warhead. It is based on the Soviet-era 48N6 interceptor used in S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, but has up-to-date components and manufacturing techniques.
At a defense conference in Poland on September 10, the ceo of the FP-7’s manufacturer Fire Point, Iryna Terekh, said the missile was due to enter service “within weeks”.
Nazarii Barchuk, an analyst at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, explained:
The FP-7 is designed for targets at the front line and in the immediate rear, such as headquarters and command posts, weapons storage facilities, military equipment (radar stations, electronic warfare systems, air defense systems, and missile launchers), drone launch sites and military infrastructure, including airfields within the missile’s range.
