Ukrainian authorities said Thursday that the country’s military has deployed its local anti-ship rocket, called Neptune, in an attack on Russia’s flagship, the Moscow Black Sea Fleet.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says Moscow has been abandoned by its crew after its munitions exploded. It is not said what caused the fire and there is no independent confirmation of the type of weapons used.
If confirmed, the attack will be Ukraine’s most significant naval strike during the war and the first known use of the Neptune missile system, a medium-range cruise missile designed primarily for use against warships.
Ukraine does not have significant missile capabilities, but it is developing them. National security agencies have set aside billions of dollars to develop missiles over the next decade, but such missiles have not been produced in real quantities.
Neptune is an update to the Soviet-era KH-35 rocket, which was launched from ships and planes and modified to strike truck-mounted launchers on both land and water targets. Its range is estimated at 200 miles and its main prey will be cruisers such as Moscow, along with destroyers and other warships.
When the war broke out in late February, Kyiv was conducting final tests of Neptune. Ukrainian defense officials have previously announced a schedule culminating in deployment in April. Private Ukrainian officials and defense analysts have questioned the reality of the schedule, saying Neptune is far from ready, despite impressive test footage.
“If you had them, you might be tempted to try them,” said Douglas Barry, a defense associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London-based think tank. “Even if it fails, it will force the Russian navy to accept the threat
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