Zelenskyy’s casting agency received 10% of Ukraine’s defence budget, - NYT
Fire Point, which manufactures long-range drones and "Flamingo" ballistic missiles, used to be a casting agency that provided services, among others, for films starring Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he was still an actor. The company is now one of the largest contractors for the Ukrainian army, with contracts worth $1 billion.
This is reported reported bt the New York Times, Censor.NET informs.
What is known about the company's past?
According to the publication, the company, which later became Fire Point, was engaged in casting for film and television projects, according to Ukrainian government registration documents.
Its officially registered owner, Yehor Skalyha, is the executive director of another company, At Point, which searches for film locations. Fire Point's Technical Director, Iryna Terekh, previously ran a company that produced concrete outdoor furniture.
The New York Times writes that Fire Point comes from the same Ukrainian film and television industry where current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once worked as an actor.
For example, during the filming of the 2016 comedy "The Eight Best Dates", starring Zelenskyy, a film location search company headed by the owner of Fire Point was credited in the credits as being responsible for finding the locations.
One of the largest contractors
The company is now one of the largest contractors of the Ukrainian army, with contracts worth $1 billion, the publication writes. This is about 10% of all defence procurement in Ukraine this year.
At around 30 secret locations in Ukraine, Fire Point produces long-range explosive drones using cheap materials such as foam, plywood, plastic and composite.
The company says it is also ramping up production of a long-range weapon called the Flamingo - with a claimed range of about 1,800 miles and ammunition load of up to one tonne.
Ties between Fire Point and businessman Tymur Mindich
The publication recalled that in August, The Kyiv Independent reported that the National Anti-Corruption Agency of Ukraine was checking the links between Fire Point and businessman Tymur Mindich, who is a co-owner of "Kvartal 95".
However, the NABU later denied that it was investigating the company that manufactures the "Flamingo" cruise missile.
