Ukrainian missile launcher destroyed in Russian strike – MOD (VIDEO)

An Iskander was reportedly used to take out a ground-based Neptune system

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage showing the moment of impact of what it claims was an Iskander strike by Russian forces that destroyed a Ukrainian long-range cruise missile launcher.

The strike reportedly took part in part of Russia’s Zaporozhye Region that is controlled by Kiev. According to the ministry, the ten Ukrainian servicemen operating the equipment were killed in the strike.

The Defense Ministry identified the Ukrainian launcher as a Neptune missile system. A separate video posted Thursday by a Telegram military channel appeared to show the same incident but contained indications that the crew may have managed to fire at least one missile before being hit.

The Neptune missile, first introduced in 2015 as an anti-ship weapon, can be fired from different platforms, including ground-mobile launchers, and can carry up to four projectiles. Prior to the escalation of the conflict with Russia, Ukrainian officials had promoted it as a potential way to threaten the Crimean Bridge.

Ukrainian media recently reported that an upgraded “long Neptun” variant of the missile had been developed that has an extended range of up to 1,000km, far above the original 300km.