Ukraine updates Neptune missiles to attack russian ground targets, such as the S-400 in Crimea – media

Ukraine has modernized Neptune anti-ship missiles of its production for striking ground targets of the army of the aggressor country, russia.

This follows from a statement by the American publication Newsweek with reference to its own sources and Western military experts.

Ian Williams, deputy director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told the publication that the Neptune missiles are part of Ukraine's efforts to build up its long-range strike potential.

Williams noted that striking ground targets is not the best solution for anti-ship missiles.

However, due to the lack of access to American ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles or German TAURUS cruise missiles, Ukraine is forced to use Neptune missiles for a different purpose.

Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher at the British analytical center Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told the newspaper that the strike on Cape Tarkhankut in the west of occupied Crimea at the end of August showed that Ukraine is capable of using Neptune missiles to hit russian targets in areas that were previously considered safe.

Kaushal called the operation to destroy the S-400 Triumph air defense system the result of a rather high and complex coordination of Ukrainian forces.

An unnamed but well-informed Western official told the newspaper that the attack on Cape Tarkhankut was indeed carried out by a modernized Neptune missile.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on August 23, the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed at Cape Tarkhankut in the west of the occupied Crimea.

And a day earlier, on September 4, the Ministry of Defense's Defense Intelligence told how Ukraine struck airfields on the territory of the russian Federation in December 2022, when several strategic bombers were damaged.