The power of the domestic cruise missile that Ukraine claims hit the Russian flagship
Ukraine claims to have attacked the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet with two domestically produced Neptune cruise missiles, although Moscow insists the ship's incident was caused by a fire.
On April 14, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Moskva cruiser - the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, sank while being towed back to port after an explosion in an ammunition depot on board.
“While being towed to port, the Moskva cruiser lost balance due to damage to its hull after an explosion in the ammunition depot. The ship sank in a storm at sea,” Sputnik quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.
The ministry said earlier that the Moskva caught fire due to an ammunition depot explosion in waters 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the Ukrainian city of Odessa. The crew was successfully evacuated and the fire was brought under control late on April 13. The ship was then towed to the port of Sevastopol for repairs but did not reach its intended destination.
However, according to Odessa Region Governor Maksym Marchenko, the 12,500-ton Russian cruiser was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles.
Two Ukrainian sources told Sky News (UK) that the flagship was hit by an anti-ship missile fired by Ukrainian forces about 25 nautical miles from Snake Island.
The loss of the Moskva is seen as a major blow to Russia as it prepares for the next phase of its campaign, focusing on the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, which could decide the outcome of the war.
The RK-360MT Neptunes is a mobile anti-ship cruise missile capable of destroying targets within a range of 300 km.
This engine-powered missile is more than 5 meters long, can travel at speeds of up to 560 km/h and at altitudes from nearly 3 meters to 9 meters above the ground.
This missile can be deployed on ships, on land and by air launchers. It was officially accepted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in August 2020.
Weighing 870 kg and carrying a 150 kg warhead, Neptune is capable of destroying targets weighing up to 5,000 tons.
The BMPD blog, run by the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), an independent Russian research organization, reports that a typical Neptune missile system has six USPU-360 launchers capable of firing a salvo of 24 anti-ship missiles.
In March 2021, Ukraine boosted its coastal defenses against the threat from Russia when its navy was equipped with the first batteries of the Neptune cruise missile system.
The top commander of the Ukrainian navy, Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, said at the time: “The system is designed to protect Ukraine in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
"This will be Ukraine's missile shield at sea," Neizhpapa said.
The Neptune system is designed by Kiev-based defense manufacturer LUCH and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has ordered the first batch of missiles.
The weapons development project was launched in 2014 after Ukraine lost nearly 80% of its naval vessels in Russia's annexation of Crimea.
According to the Kyiv Post, the Ukrainian military plans to deploy three Neptune cruise missile systems along the Black Sea and Azov Sea coastlines by 2025.
