From casting to missiles: what we know about the company that has become one of the main producers of weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
28 October 16:56
The New York Times reported that the Ukrainian tech company Fire Point, which today produces long-range drones and Flamingo ballistic missiles, used to be a casting agency for film and television production, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The newspaper notes that the company provided services for films in which Volodymyr Zelenskyy played the main roles as an actor, including the movie Eight Best Dates.
Who is behind the company
According to the NYT investigation, the current CTO of Fire Point, Iryna Terekh, previously headed a company that produced concrete street products, and the registered owner of Fire Point, Yegor Skalyga, is also the head of At Point, an agency that looks for locations for films.
Thus, the publication points to the company’s origin in the industry in which Zelenskyy himself worked before he was elected president.
What is known about the company now
As of 2025, Fire Point is one of the largest defense contractors in Ukraine. According to the NYT, the company has received contracts worth about $1 billion, which is up to 10% of all defense procurement.
Among its developments are long-range drones FP-1 and the Flamingo missile, which is actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Earlier, in August 2024, the Ukrainian edition of the Kyiv Independent reported that the NABU was investigating Fire Point.
According to journalists, law enforcement officers were investigating the possible misleading of the government and the sale of FP-1 drones to the Ministry of Defense for UAH 13.2 billion.
They also mentioned the possible involvement of businessman Tymur Mindich, co-owner of Kvartal 95 and a longtime partner of Zelenskyy.
Fire Point confirmed the inspection, but later NABU and SAPO said they were not investigating any case related to the Flamingo missile.
The NYT article once again drew attention to the interconnectedness of the Ukrainian film industry and the new defense economy emerging during the war.
Fire Point has become a symbol of how the private sector is rapidly transforming to find ways to help the frontline – but also has found itself under the microscope of international media and anti-corruption authorities.
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