Aug. 31 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the effectiveness of long-range weapons following a series of successful drone attacks on Russian facilities and a missile strike on a Russian facility in occupied Crimea.
The Ukrainian government announced that a domestically developed long-range missile was used to strike a target 434 miles away.
“The Ministry of Strategic Industries reported its own production. Successful use of our long-range weapons: the target was hit at a distance of 434 miles,” said Zelensky in a Telegram post after meeting with officials on Thursday.
Multiple Russian regions were struck by UAV attacks overnight Wednesday, resulting in the destruction of four Russian IL-76 cargo planes at the Pskov airport and the closure of Moscow’s civilian air traffic.
“I have been briefed on the battlefield situation by the Central Committee. Both defensive and offensive actions are being taken. Our forward movement does not cease,” said Zelensky.
On August 23, a domestically produced long-range missile was used to destroy the Russian “Triumf” facility in occupied Crimea, which manufactures S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, according to Ukrainian officials.
Other Ukrainian officials have also expressed confidence in Ukrainian weapons systems.
“The missile program of the President of Ukraine in action. The tests have been successful, and the implementation is effective. Sevastopol is waiting, Kamchatka is waiting, Kronstadt is waiting,” tweeted Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, on Thursday.
During the Soviet era, Ukraine was renowned for its defense industries, including aircraft and rocket manufacturing.
In April 2022, Ukrainian forces used Ukrainian-made Neptune anti-ship missiles, based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile design, to sink the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship.
The missile used to strike the Triumf facility is believed to be a modified version of the Neptune.
While Ukrainian allies have been hesitant to allow the use of foreign equipment to strike targets within the Russian Federation, the British government confirmed in May that it had supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles capable of hitting targets up to 150 miles away.
It is believed that the British cruise missiles are effective against moving targets, such as anti-air systems and mobile command vehicles. However, Ukraine has agreed not to use them to strike within the internationally recognized territory of the Russian Federation.
In contrast, Ukraine faces no such restrictions on the use of its indigenous hardware.
According to a report by The New York Times, Ukraine is currently developing six new drone models, some of which have a range exceeding 600 miles.
