President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday released footage showing the launch of Ukraine’s long-range “Long Neptune” missiles hitting targets inside Russia during the night of Nov. 14 – the first time Kyiv has publicly shown the weapon in action.

“Ukrainian ‘Long Neptunes.’ Doing more,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram as he published the video.

He confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck specific sites in Russia but did not disclose details.

“This is our entirely justified response to ongoing Russian terror. Ukrainian missiles deliver tangible and precise results every month,” he said, thanking those involved in Ukraine’s missile program for expanding both accuracy and range.

Kyiv recently unveiled the updated version of its domestically produced Neptune anti-ship missile – the same system used to sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, in April 2022.

A full-body view of the upgraded missile appeared in a released by arms maker Zbroya for Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug. 24, shown alongside Bohdana howitzers and naval drones.

Defense outlet Militarnyi noted that the missile’s larger body would explain its extended range of 1,000 km and a likely increase in warhead size.

In March 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the upgraded version can strike targets up to 1,000 km (621 miles) away – a jump from the 300 km (186 miles) range listed in a 2020 brochure for the original model.

The upgraded missile was presumably used in a Ukrainian strike on the Russian naval port of Novorossiysk in May, covering a distance of over 750 km (466 miles) – one of the longest-range conventional missile strikes by Kyiv since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Militarnyi suggests the new weapon might have accommodated a warhead containing more explosives or a hardened penetrator, or a new guidance system. Update plans in 2023 included an infrared sensor or homing system for the terminal phase of flight.

At the time, plans were also made to increase the warhead payload from 150 kg (331 lbs) to 350 kg (794 lbs), though the final payload on the upgraded version remains unspecified.

The fins on the upgraded missile also appear to be larger, which would add range capability or provide more maneuverability in-flight.

While the Neptune was initially designed as an anti-ship missile, the upgrade plans suggest it was later adopted for land-based surface-to-surface strikes.