Ukraine has successfully extended the range of its domestically produced Neptune cruise missile to 1,000 kilometers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 15 March 2025. The Ukrainian leader confirmed that the upgraded Long Neptune missile has already undergone testing and been successfully deployed in combat operations with precise hits on targets.
These developments unfold as US President Trump’s administration pressures Ukraine to accept a potential US-brokered ceasefire favoring Russia, while Ukraine braces for prolonged war. As Trump continues only weapon supplies approved by the previous Biden administration – even exploiting them as a means of coercion without announcing new shipments – the Long Neptune plays a crucial role in Ukraine’s arsenal. It delivers more force than long-range drones and reduces Ukraine’s partial reliance on the US and Europe for deep-strike munitions.
Zelenskyy said:
“Today we also received reports regarding our missile program. We have significant results. A new Ukrainian missile, a precise strike. The distance – one thousand kilometers. I thank our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers and military.“
Ukrainian defense forces have been using Neptune cruise missiles for an extended period to strike important targets. In 2024, these missiles reportedly hit ammunition depots both in temporarily occupied territories and inside Russia. Oil facilities in the aggressor country were also targeted with this weapon, according to Militarnyi.
However, official confirmations of these strikes have been scarce. Information about such attacks occasionally comes from press services or anonymous military and intelligence sources speaking to Ukrainian media. An indirect indication of Neptune missile use has been official army press releases mentioning the Ukrainian Navy – its operator – in long-range strikes.
Zelenskyy did not specify what the Long Neptune struck in Russia during combat testing. However, Forbes and numerous commentators suggest that the successful deployment he referenced was likely the 14 March strike on an oil refinery in Tuapse, southern Russia, approximately 450 km from the front line in Ukraine. The Tuapse attack was the latest in a Ukrainian strategic bombing campaign targeting Russian oil facilities that reduced production by around 10% last year.
Meanwhile, Russian Telegram news channel Astra, citing its sources, claims that a Ukrainian long-range Neptune missile struck the Aksinino oil pumping station of Transneft-Druzhba’s Bryansk regional division on 10 March in Bryansk Oblast’s Karachevsky district, though the extent of the damage remains unknown.
Neptune
The R-360 Neptune is a Ukrainian subsonic cruise missile developed by the Luch Design Bureau in Kyiv, originally designed as an anti-ship missile. Its development began in 2015, during the tenure of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, a year after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine. Neptune’s design is based on the Soviet Kh-35 subsonic anti-ship missile but features significantly enhanced range, targeting capabilities, and advanced electronic systems.
The missile has been in service with the Ukrainian Navy since 2021. However, as of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine possessed only a limited number of Neptunes. The missile gained global recognition in April 2022 when two Neptunes struck and sank the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva.
In November 2024, it was revealed that the Ukrainian defense industry had produced more than one hundred missile weapons during that year. However, this number apparently includes the missiles of various types, including smaller missile drones, such as Palianytsia and Peklo.
The adaptation of the Neptune anti-ship missile for striking land targets was first reported in April 2023, when a representative of the Ukrainian defense department stated that designers were working on modifying the missile for ground target engagement.
Militarnyi notes that the missile system appears to utilize the same launch platform as the previous anti-ship version of the R-360 Neptune cruise missile. The publication says the upgraded missile has received a new guidance system, incorporating satellite positioning for control during the cruise phase of flight. In the final approach, targeting is conducted using an infrared self-guidance system.
Ukraine also develops other domestic munitions , including air-launched glide bombs, ground-launched ballistic missiles, and anti-air missiles.
Related:
- Reuters: Ukraine to receive jamming-resistant GLSDB bombs as ATACMS run out
- Rosneft-owned refinery in Tuapse hit in overnight drone attack (video)
- Ukraine’s air force uses Mirage fighters against Russian missiles for the first time
- Ukraine develops fiber-optic module fitting for all drones, integrates optical navigation module
- Militarnyi: Ukrainian missiles to be integrated into NASAMS air defense systems
- Zelenskyy: Palianytsia in mass production, Ruta missile trials successful
- New Ukrainian “Hell” missile-drone likely designed for striking critical Russian ground targets, expert says
- Ukraine scales up production of advanced Neptune missiles
