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While sirens do not stop sounding all around Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted a missile attack on the Russian rear region. On the afternoon of November 21st, several Ukrainian missiles targeted the city of Sevastopol in the Republic of Crimea.
According to preliminary reports, at least one Ukrainian missile was destroyed by the air defense forces of the Russian Federation. Presumably, it was the Ukrainian-made R-360 Neptune cruise missile, initially aimed to destroy enemy warships.
The Russian Ministry of Defense is yet to provide details of the attack. There are no reports about any damage in the city of Sevastopol.
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The R-360 Neptune is a Ukrainian subsonic low-altitude anti-ship missile designed to destroy ships with a draught of up to 5,000 tons, as well as ground targets. The rocket was developed on the basis of the Soviet X-35 missile, in the development and production of which Ukrainian enterprises took part. This is one of the key complexes of the coastal defense of Ukraine, designed for strikes at sea and land targets. The Armed Forces of Ukraine use it in attacks on the Russian territory, including in Crimea. The main targets for Neptune missiles are positions of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
Ukrainian missile strikes on the city of Sevastopol became quite rare. The last attack on Sevastopol was reported almost a month ago on October 24th. Then, another Ukrainian missile was destroyed inflicting no damage to the city.
The strike with Neptune missile today seems to a desperate attempt of the Ukrainian military to show some muscles after Ukraine came under attack of the Russian medium-range ballistic missile. LINK At the same time, the resumption of the single strikes may mark the preparation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the NATO military to attempt another massive attack with Western cruise missiles that also targeted the peninsula before.
