aAs for the coast of Odessa, a strategic port city on the Black Sea in southwestern Ukraine, a Ukrainian missile battery is said to have struck Russian Navy cruiserMoskva. Several Ukrainian government officials claimed on Wednesday that a Neptune The anti-ship battery, allegedly hidden in or near Odessa, fired two shots at Moskva, which led to the installation of 612 feet long ship on fire.
The strike was announced by Anton Gerashchenko Consultant in Kyiv for Ministry of Internal Affairs. Maxim MarchenkoIt was approved by the head of the Odessa administration. “Neptune’s missiles caused severe damage to the Russian ship,” Marchenko said.
On social media, an audio recording was circulated that allegedly informed the Ukrainian forces of the cruiser attack.
The ship caught fire and the crew was evacuated, he said Russian state media, but the fire was caused by an accidental explosion of ammunition. It is said that Moskva was later sunk. It is possible that Moscow is trying to confuse the waters in order to deprive Kyiv of a media victory. It is also possible that Ukraine has just dealt a devastating blow to Russia.
Ukrainian sources have reported that Russian warships that have blockaded Odessa and other ports have been hit on numerous occasions since Russia escalated its war on Ukraine on February 23. Only one report was verified. In late March, Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol fired an anti-tank guided missile at a Russian patrol boat.
when compared to ATGM Concourse, Neptune is a much more advanced and dangerous weapon for Russian sailors. However, the Ukrainian Navy probably only had one Neptune battery before the war, out of a half dozen or so it planned to enlist this spring.
Did Ukraine really shoot the Russian ship?
Kyiv began developing the missile in 2013, and the first test shots were launched in 2018 R-360 . cruise missiles Launched by the Neptune system, it travels up to 180 miles at a low altitude. use the missile MS-400 Turbojet To sail and borrow a booster from S-125 anti-aircraft missile. The detection range of the radar seeker’s head is about 30 miles.
The Neptune battery consists of a four-round truck-mounted launcher, a command truck, and two resupply trucks, plus links to a mobile device. Mineral-U radar with a range of 370 miles.
If the Ukrainians, in fact, hit Moskva with a Neptune or two, it means that they first managed to assemble at least one complete battery with all its support systems, all while fighting a devastating war.
It also means that they provided accurate targeting data to the battery via a drone, ground-based radar or other sensor. None of this is easy, but it’s totally possible.
