KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on September 20, 2026, that Ukrainian forces used a domestically developed system called Pelican for the first time during overnight strikes on targets in the Moscow region.
The operation targeted Russian energy and logistics infrastructure, including the Gazpromneft Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district, about 15 kilometres from the Kremlin. Ukrainian sources and the General Staff reported damage to the AVT-6 primary crude-processing unit, another oil-processing unit and an isomerization unit. A large fire was reported at the refinery.
The refinery processes about 11.6 million tonnes of crude oil annually and supplies around 40 percent of Moscow’s fuel, including aviation kerosene.
Fire Point, the Ukrainian defence company behind several of the systems used in the operation, also reported that its FP-1 drones struck a warehouse complex operated by Modern Warehouse Technologies near Sofyino in Moscow Oblast. An industrial facility in Voronezh Oblast was also hit.
Zelenskyy said the operation involved FP-1, RZ-100, MICH-2000, Palianytsia, Vendetta, Liutyi, Bars, Flamingo, Sichen and Pelican. He said the Security Service of Ukraine, Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, Defence Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence Service participated.
Russian officials confirmed fires at the refinery and logistics site and said large numbers of Ukrainian drones had been intercepted.
Pelican and the FP-7
The Pelican name has been widely linked to Fire Point’s FP-7 tactical ballistic missile, although publicly available reporting has not conclusively established that the Pelican used in the Moscow-region operation was the FP-7. Some Ukrainian reporting has described the Pelican involved in the attack as an aircraft-type drone.
Fire Point's published specifications describe the FP-7 as a ground-launched, solid-fuel ballistic missile with a payload of up to 150 kilograms, a range of up to 200 kilometres, a circular error probable of about 14 metres, a maximum speed of 1,500 metres per second, a flight altitude of up to 65 kilometres and a maximum flight time of 250 seconds. Some reports citing company representatives have mentioned a possible range of around 300 kilometres, depending on configuration.
The FP-7 has been developed as a lower-cost Ukrainian strike system comparable in role to the U.S.-supplied ATACMS.
The range of the FP-7 also creates a distinction concerning the Moscow refinery. Moscow is well beyond the missile's publicly stated 200-kilometre range from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Therefore, available information does not establish that an FP-7 ballistic missile directly struck the Kapotnya refinery. The operation involved several long-range drones and missiles, including Flamingo, as well as FP-1, Liutyi and other systems.
Fire Point's Other Missile Programs
Fire Point moved the FP-7 into military trials earlier in September 2026 after completing previous testing stages. Company executives had indicated that combat use could follow within weeks.
The company is also developing the FP-7.X, an interceptor variant intended to counter incoming ballistic threats as part of the European-Ukrainian Freyja air-defense project.
Another system, the longer-range FP-9 ballistic missile, remains in testing. Fire Point lists the FP-9 with a range of up to 855 kilometres and a warhead of up to 800 kilograms. It has not been reported in combat use.
The September 20 operation was part of Ukraine's continuing long-range campaign against Russian energy and logistics infrastructure, as Kyiv expands its domestic weapons production and seeks to reduce reliance on Western long-range munitions.
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