Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins advisory board of Ukraine’s leading defense company amid probe
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has joined the advisory board of Ukraine’s leading defense company, renowned for its long-range drones capable of striking targets deep inside Russia, as a corruption investigation continues.
In an effort to enhance its international reputation, Fire Point is establishing a new factory in Denmark and bringing prominent industry figures on board. It also aims to expand its operations to produce battle-tested cruise missiles, with plans to more than double its current capacity.
However, public scrutiny remains intense during an ongoing corruption investigation. Fire Point’s executives insist they have nothing to hide and are operating under strict martial law protocols, even commissioning an independent audit to appease investigators. Critics, however, question the company’s opaque origins and the monopoly of its contracts with the Defense Ministry, and point to alleged links to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s notorious associate Tymur Mindich, who is implicated in a major corruption scandal.
“In general it’s good they are working on this,” said Iryna Terekh, Fire Point’s chief technology officer of the investigation. “We completely support, as a company, the fact that this investigation is happening.”
Terekh said Fire Point has commissioned a major international firm to conduct an independent audit of its pricing and production to quell concerns. The investigation by anti-corruption organizations, launched a year ago, is still ongoing, she said. “We will be waiting for the results to come.”
The Associated Press was given exclusive access to a factory in Ukraine where its cruise missile, known as the Flamingo or FP-5, is assembled. The AP was given access on the condition the exact location is not named, due the risk of Russian attacks.
Fire Point, which rose to prominence after initially being relatively unknown following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, now reports around $1 billion in revenue this year. It is also constructing a factory in Denmark to manufacture essential rocket propellent.
In the meantime, the company is forging ahead with plans to expand.
The company launched an advisory board and named Pompeo as a member on Nov. 12, executives told AP. “It’s a big honor for us,” Terekh said, speaking from the factory floor. “We decided that since we are growing into a big international company, we have to ensure we are following the clearest and best corporate standards.”
Another three individuals will join the board. “We are rising as a company and we want a wise adviser board to help us establish this work,” said Terekh.
US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg also visited one of Fire Point’s factories during his last visit, executives said, in a visit that included other Ukrainian defense technology companies as well.
Building on the success of its deep-strike drone, the FP-1, which AP was granted exclusive access to view in August, the company is now planning to ramp up production of its cruise missiles. They are also in high demand among Ukrainian forces as Western missiles remain hard to access in sufficient quantities to debilitate Russian capabilities.
Fire Point has successfully tested Flamingo on the battlefield at least four times, company executives said. In late August it was used to strike an FSB base in Armiansk in the occupied Crimean Peninsula. This week, the missile was used to strike targets in the Russian city of Oryol. The company did not provide its current production capacity, citing security concerns.
Production is going according to plans, company executives said, without elaborating on precise figures for security concerns.
