Ukraine has been subjected to fierce military and diplomatic pressure in recent weeks, but it might have just discovered a game-changer in its battle against Russia: the Long Neptune cruise missile.
Ukraine tested its first long-range cruise missile on Friday, March 14, and hit an oil refinery in Russia’s Tuapse town. The missile attack is said to have caused a huge fire that lasted for three days before being put out.
Russia’s Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratiev confirmed the event, “Following the shelling of the Kyiv regime, on March 14 evening, a tank with approximately 20,000 tons of gasoline ignited at the oil depot. On the ground, the fire engulfed over a thousand squares, the fire was rated fourth degree of threat.”
For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this successful test provided a rare piece of good news. “We’re happy with the results of Long Neptune,” he announced after the attack.
Ukraine Targets Russia’s Oil Industry
Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia’s vital oil industry, including refineries and pipelines, using a mix of drones and missiles. The goal is to disrupt one of Russia’s key economic sectors, which helps finance its war efforts.
Reports quoted by Politico indicate that Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities could already have downed 10% of Russia’s refining capacity.
Ukrainian MP Roman Lozinskyi called the Neptune cruise missile a strategic winner. Writing on Facebook, he said, “In essence, Putin has quietly confirmed to Trump how much our deep strikes are hurting the Russian energy sector. This is our trump card.”
Cruise Missiles Alone Won’t Change the War
Although they can destroy, cruise missiles might not be sufficient in their number to tip the war. Their impact is cautioned against by military strategists.
Mykola Bielieskov, a fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and senior analyst at the Kyiv-based Come Back Alive Initiatives Center NGO, said in an interview with Politico, “These cruise missiles alone cannot change the course of the war, even if there are many times more of them than now. We have the experience of Russia, which has fired many more missiles at us, and we are working.”
But he stressed Ukraine should keep building its deep strike capabilities. “Kyiv should continue to build deep strike capabilities both in the framework of strategic defense today and from the perspective of deterrence tomorrow,” he further stated.
Ukraine’s Access to Long-Range Missiles
The successful launch of the Long Neptune cruise missile puts Ukraine in an elite club of countries that can manufacture long-range cruise missiles. These are potent weapons that travel more than 500 kilometers and have heavy warheads intended for heavy destruction.
Now, France and the UK provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles. The Taurus missile is produced by Germany and Sweden, but they have not supplied any of them to Ukraine yet. The United States, on the other hand, has proposed sending JASSM cruise missiles, but no confirmed shipments have been made.
As Ukraine further develops its missile capabilities, its capacity to reach deep into Russian territory could change the face of the battlefield. Although cruise missiles in themselves may not win the war, they provide Kyiv with a key advantage in its struggle for independence.
