Ukrainian Neptune missiles damaged Russia's Admiral Essen warship in first use – admiral

The Ukrainian anti-ship missile Neptune was used for the first time against the frigate Admiral Essen, Commander of the Naval Forces Oleksiy Neyizhpapa said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.

At the beginning of the all-out war, an enemy ship approached the Ukrainian coast, which was followed by amphibious ships along the Tendra Spit in the area of the Pivdennyi port of Mykolaiv Oblast.

The Russians conducted demonstration moves so that Ukraine could not transfer the marines to the front line due to the threat of landing from the sea.

When Essen approached the shore, as a result of the attack by Neptunes it was damaged, and several people on board were killed.

"The first launches were not as successful as against the Moskva cruiser. The ship urgently returned to Sevastopol for repairs, the missile did not hit the side directly, I understand. There was an explosion right next to the ship, which damaged the weapons system on this frigate," said Admiral Neyizhpapa.

It was then that the Russian military shot down their own aircraft, which was covering the ships from the air.

On April 13, 2022, two Neptune missiles hit Russia's Moskva cruiser. Overnight on April 15, Moscow admitted that the flagship of the Russian fleet had indeed sunk.

At the end of the summer of 2023, The Drive wrote that Ukraine will modernize Neptune missiles, making them capable of reaching Moscow and beyond.

On September 14, 2023, a counterintelligence operation by the SBU security service and the Navy took place, the result of which was the destruction of the S-400 Triumph air defense system worth $1.2 billion: drones and Neptune missiles engaged the target.

The attack was similar to the August 23 attack on the S-400 position in the Olenivka area on Cape Tarkhankut.