Russia can’t ignore Ukraine’s new Long Neptune missile — Defense Express

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

“The emergence of Ukraine's own cruise missile is a significant factor. And it will be even more significant when such a missile can fly 1,000 km and strike targets deep inside the Russian territory with a substantial warhead, unlike drones. Its destructive power is increased several times over — possibly by 5 to 10 times — though we cannot yet confirm the exact technical characteristics. However, this is a factor Russia cannot ignore,” the military expert commented.

According to him, the rapid scaling of Long Neptune missile production — reaching several dozen per month — could become a powerful tool for Ukraine in today’s conditions, especially given the shift in the U.S. position and Europe’s lack of similar capabilities.

“For example, the emergence of such a cruise missile in Ukraine, capable of being used in a 'ground-to-ground' mode, is also a significant argument for Europe and strengthens Ukraine’s position in shaping security policy and further cooperation with European countries. It’s worth noting that Europe doesn’t have such a capability, so it may be interested in providing Ukraine with opportunities to scale up production, as well as joining the project to acquire these weapons for itself. After all, it’s becoming clear that Europe needs to be independent from U.S. supplies of such systems,” noted Valeriy Riabykh.

• On March 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the new Ukrainian missile Long Neptune had been tested and successfully deployed at a distance of 1,000 kilometers.