Ukraine's Neptune cruise missiles: Tracking their impact on Russian targets in 2024

Defense Express writes about this.

Ukraine’s Neptune cruise missile, modified for strikes on ground targets, has reportedly been used in several high-profile attacks on Russian military assets. While exact details remain scarce, public sources, such as UAVoyager on Twitter, have documented key strikes in 2024.

Here’s a summary of publicly known instances:

• May 31, 2024: Attack on the ferry and oil terminal in Russia’s Kavkaz port, 250 km from the front line.
• June 21, 2024: Strike on a Shahed kamikaze drone storage base near the Eisk airfield, 150 km from the front line.
• July 23, 2024: Hit on the Slavyanin ferry, which operated in Kavkaz port.
• July 31, 2024: Attack on a Russian military equipment storage base near Kursk, 100 km from the front line.
• August 22, 2024: Destruction of the Conro Trader ferry, transporting fuel tanks to Kavkaz port.

A notable follow-up strike occurred on January 10, 2025, targeting a Russian UAV storage facility in Rostov, 170 km from the front line.

Defense Express analyzed these cases, noting that most strikes prioritized logistics to occupied Crimea, UAV storage sites, and military equipment depots, likely supporting Ukraine’s Kursk operation in August 2024.

The use of Neptune missiles seems tied to three key factors: production capacity, the availability of Western long-range missiles, and restrictions on using Western missiles against Russian territory, analysts explained.

While details on Neptune’s range and production remain unclear, experts predict that a full stock of these missiles, potentially for partner nations as well, may be available by 2025.