Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled Ukraine’s new “Long Neptune” missile, capable of striking targets 620 miles away.
The Ukrainian President said in a post on X tha the long-range weapon “has been tested and successfully used in combat”, though its not yet clear where it may have been used.
“A new Ukrainian missile, an accurate strike,” Zelensky said, adding that its range is “a thousand kilometres” or 621 miles.
“Thank you to our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers and military,” he said, “We continue to work to guarantee Ukrainian security.”
It’s led to speculation as to whether the missile had been behind previous Ukrainian strikes.
Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ suggested it may have caused the explosions that erupted at the Tuapse Oil refinery on Friday, with ten loud blasts heard across Russia‘s Krasnodar Krai region, writing: “There is an assumption that it was [the new] Neptune,” as per The Sun.
However, Kyiv is yet to claim responsibility, and its not yet clear whether the explosion was from a missile or a drone attack.
The long range Neptune, made by Kyiv-based manufacturer Luch Design Bureau, was originally designed as an anti-ship missile. However, during the war it hsd been adapted to strike land targets, and has now been modifier further to enable long distance strikes, as per MailOnline.
Kyiv has had to rely on foreign military aid to aquire missiles to strike back at the Russians since Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Washington has continued to restrict where weapons like its ATACMS, a long-range, guided missile, can be used over fears of an escalation from Moscow.
It comes amid reports that the new government in Germany under incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz is likely to greenlight supplying Ukraine with its long range Taurus missiles, which have double the range of the UK-provided Storm Shadow rockets.
But the long-range Neptune has double even the Taurus’ range, if claims of its capacity prove accurate, and would be able to strike as far as the Russian capital, Moscow.
Meanwhile, the US has put forward a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Zelensky has backed.
However, Putin has indicated that while he supports a truce in principle a host of details would need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Zelensky warned allies that Putin is “lying to everyone” about “how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated” and warned that Putin could be planning to launch fresh attacks on Ukraine to derail Donald Trump‘s ceasefire bid. In a post on X, said Russia was “building up forces” along his country’s eastern border, adding: “The buildup of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy.
“It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war. We are ready to provide our partners with all the real information on the situation at the front, in the Kursk region, and along our border.”
Follow the latest Russia-Ukraine war updates on our live blog.
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