The first mention of the “long Neptune” appeared at the end of 2023, and now we have its first combat use.

The Ukrainian cruise missile “Neptune” in its ground version can destroy targets at a range of 1000 km.

As reported by Defense Express, the Ukrainian cruise missile “Neptune” in the version for striking ground targets has already been used to strike objects directly on Russian territory. This missile has a range of 1000 km, and this conclusion can be drawn from the post shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Today, there were also reports on our missile program. We have significant results. The ‘Long Neptune’ has passed tests and successful combat use. The new Ukrainian missile, a precise strike. Range – 1000 kilometers. Thanks to our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers, and the military. We continue to work to ensure Ukraine’s security,” the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

More details about the “long-range Neptune” have not been disclosed yet, particularly regarding the production rates of these missiles and in which specific episodes the missile was used to strike Russian forces. However, it is worth noting that in November 2024, Zelensky reported that Ukraine had surpassed the milestone of “the first hundred units of missile weapons.”

In general, it is important to mention that news of Ukraine working on the “long-range Neptune” first emerged at the end of 2023, when Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ivan Gavryliuk, without providing details, noted that work was underway on a new modification of the Neptune missile system. It was around that time the missile received its unofficial designation as the “long-range Neptune.”

Earlier, in the summer of the same year, media outlets reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces were already using a modified “Neptune” missile for strikes against Russian forces. This modified version has a range of 400 km and a warhead weighing 350 kg. It was reportedly the modified “Neptune” that was used to destroy a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system in temporarily occupied Crimea in August 2023.

In general, the “Neptune” cruise missile has been repeatedly used by Ukrainian forces for strikes against Russian forces and directly on targets within Russian territory.

As of the end of last year, we shared information about the use of the “Neptune” cruise missile against ground targets in Russia in 2024. Among the affected targets were such sites as a storage base for Shahed-type attack drones near the “Eisk” airfield and a Russian occupation army equipment storage base near Kursk.

EMPR