Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow
President claims attack hit oil and logistics facilities, resulting in billions of dollars in war support.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

© ANSA/EPA
Photograph: ANSA (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine used cruise missiles, including the Flamingo, and new ballistic missiles, including the Pelican (FP-7), in an attack on the Moscow region.
- Zelensky claimed the attack hit a major Russian oil industry facility and a logistics center, resulting in billions of dollars supporting the war effort.
- Several outlets reported this was the first time the Pelican ballistic missile had been used in an attack on Moscow.
- Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted over 450 drones targeting Moscow, though Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acknowledged some reached the Moscow refinery and one damaged a residential building.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 13 of the 20 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
41/100
20 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had deployed cruise and new ballistic missiles in an attack on the Moscow region. He identified the missiles used as the Flamingo cruise missile and the Pelican (FP-7) ballistic missile. Zelensky stated that the strikes targeted a significant Russian oil industry facility and a logistics center, which he claimed would impact billions of dollars supporting Russia's war effort.
Multiple reports indicated that this was the first instance of the Pelican ballistic missile being used in an attack on Moscow. The operation involved several Ukrainian defense and intelligence agencies, according to ZN.UA. Russian authorities reported intercepting over 450 drones aimed at Moscow. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that some drones reached the Moscow refinery and that one drone damaged a residential building.
Disagreement on missile details
While President Zelensky identified the Pelican as a new ballistic missile used in the attack, ZN.UA also listed other potential weapons used, including FP-1, RZ-100, MICH-2000, "Palatinate", Vendetta, "Lute", "Bars", "Flamingo", and "Sichny". The reports do not clarify if these were all distinct missile types or variations.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports printed below mention the specific figure of billions of dollars that President Zelensky claimed would be impacted in supporting the war effort. The reports also do not detail the extent of the damage to the oil industry facility or the logistics center beyond Zelensky's claims.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 20 Sept 2026, 13:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow
ZN.UA Зеркало недели — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports from ANSA and ZN.UA both led with President Zelensky's announcement of the use of cruise and ballistic missiles, including the Pelican, in the attack on Moscow. Both outlets detailed Zelensky's claims that the strikes hit a major Russian oil industry facility and a logistics center, impacting billions of dollars supporting the war effort. ZN.UA also provided specific details about the operation, noting the involvement of multiple Ukrainian defense and intelligence agencies and mentioning the potential use of various missile types. ZN.UA also reported on the Russian authorities' claims regarding drone interceptions and damage to the Moscow refinery and a residential building.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports from EADaily, topwar.ru, Korrespondent.net, and news-pravda.com focused on President Zelensky's statement regarding the use of the Pelican rocket. EADaily and topwar.ru highlighted that this was the first time the Pelican rocket was used in an attack on Moscow. Korrespondent.net stated that Zelensky revealed details of the attack. News-pravda.com quoted Zelensky directly, stating that Ukraine had fired an FP-7 Pelican ballistic missile at Moscow and noted its development based on S-300 family missiles.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 57% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 20. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow biased?
- Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow is one event reported by 20 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Zelensky says Ukraine used new ballistic missiles on Moscow?
- 20 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Ukraine use in the attack on Moscow?
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine used cruise missiles, including the Flamingo, and new ballistic missiles, including the Pelican (FP-7), in an attack on the Moscow region. Several reports indicated this was the first use of the Pelican ballistic missile in an attack on Moscow.
- What targets did Ukraine claim to hit in Moscow?
- President Zelensky claimed that the attack hit a major Russian oil industry facility and a logistics center. He stated that these strikes would impact billions of dollars supporting Russia's war effort.
- What did Russian authorities say about the attack?
- Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted over 450 drones targeting Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acknowledged that some drones reached the Moscow refinery and one damaged a residential building.
Read it at the source
20 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
3- Zelensky: Ukraine Launched First Ballistic Missile Strike Against Moscow (opens 15min.lt in a new tab)
- Zelensky, 'in the Attack on Moscow Also Used Cruise Missiles and Ballistics' (opens ANSA in a new tab)
- Zelensky Hinted at Ballistic Strikes in Moscow. (opens ZN.UA Зеркало недели in a new tab)
ZN.UA Зеркало недели — is ZN.UA Зеркало недели biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
4- Zelensky Stated that in the Attack on Moscow, the Pelican Rocket Was First Used: EADaily (opens EADaily in a new tab)
- Zelensky Announced the Attack on Moscow with the Latest Ukrainian FP-7 Pelican Missile (opens topwar.ru in a new tab)
- The Attack on Moscow: Zelensky Revealed the Details. (opens Korrespondent.net in a new tab)
Korrespondent.net — is Korrespondent.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Ukraine has fired an FP-7 Pelican ballistic missile at Moscow," Zelensky said (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
13- Zelensky Claimed the Use of "Pelican" in the Attack on Moscow (opens istories.media in a new tab)
istories.media — is istories.media biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine: Pelican Ballistic Missile Used for First Time in Attacks on Moscow (opens dialogos.com.cy in a new tab)
dialogos.com.cy — is dialogos.com.cy biased? Our profile of this outlet
- A New Chapter in the War! Ukraine's Pelikan Missile Used for the First Time in Russia. (opens Akşam in a new tab)
- Zelenskyy Reported that Oil and Processing Facilities in Moscow and Voronezh Were Hit. (opens Haberler in a new tab)
- Ukraine Has Attacked Russia with a Ballistic Missile for the First Time. It Is a Pelican Missile (opens echo24.cz in a new tab)
- Massive Attack on Moscow, Flight Chaos at the Airport. Zelensky: 'Cruise and Ballistic Missiles Are Also Used' (opens L'Unione Sarda.it in a new tab)
L'Unione Sarda.it — is L'Unione Sarda.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
- For the First Time, Ukrainians Used the Pelican Ballistic Missile in Attacks on Moscow (opens CNN Greece in a new tab)
CNN Greece — is CNN Greece biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky Declared the Application of Pelican to the Russian Federation: What Is Known (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
Show 5 more
- Ukraine uses Pelican ballistic missile in massive strike on Moscow refinery (opens Crypto Briefing in a new tab)
Crypto Briefing — is Crypto Briefing biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine uses Pelican ballistic missile in massive strike on Moscow refinery (opens Cryptocurrency News in a new tab)
Cryptocurrency News — is Cryptocurrency News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky Intrigued by Statement About Weapons Used Under Moscow (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Ukraine Could Have Used a Pelican Ballistic Missile for the First Time in an Attack on Moscow. (opens reform.news in a new tab)
reform.news — is reform.news biased? Our profile of this outlet
- During the Attack on Moscow, the Armed Forces Used Ukrainian Ballistic Missile for the First Time (opens Gazeta.ua in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.


