Long Neptune Strike Cripples Russian Black Sea Warships — SkimNews
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- Ukraine's Navy struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Novorossiysk on September 9 with Long Neptune cruise missiles, hitting the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov alongside a Buyan-M class corvette, per the Navy's official X account and Exilenova+ satellite imagery.
- The Buyan-M corvette sustained the most severe damage, with extensive fire to its VLS cell bank and structural collapse aft of the superstructure, debris scattered over the stern.
- Both Grigorovich-class frigates took moderate to severe damage to their forward sections and VLS cell banks, likely eliminating their ability to employ surface-to-air and surface-to-surface munitions.
- The Long Neptune strike is the first confirmed ship kill by the upgraded missile, which extends range past 500 km from the original Neptune's 300-360 km and is available in larger quantities with fewer operational restrictions than Western-donated Storm Shadow.
- The Russian Black Sea Fleet now has 4 of 10 surface cruise missile carriers out of action, with only 8 Kalibr-capable vessels active across the Caspian and Black Sea out of a potential 17—6 of 9 are out of service due to damage.
- Ukraine's Luch Design Bureau developed both the original Neptune—which sank the Moskva in early 2022—and the upgraded Long Neptune with improved inertial navigation, GPS guidance, and a new terminal seeker, per The War Zone.
Why it matters: The Black Sea Fleet's Kalibr-launching capacity is collapsing—6 of 9 missile-carrying vessels are now out of service, with the Grigorovich herself plus two Kilo submarines still gated from re-entering by the closed Bosphorus. Ukraine's domestically produced Long Neptune gives Kyiv a 500+ km reach against moving naval targets without the political constraints of donated Western munitions.
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