Yesterday, August 22, the Ukrainian long-range strike successfully hit the Conroe Trader, a ferry that was at the time loaded with railway fuel tank cars in the Port Kavkaz, on the russian side of the Kerch Strait. Until this attack, it was the only operational ferry in the Black Sea, crucial for maritime resupply of russian forces in Crimea. Some russian sources suggested that the ferry was hit by a Neptune anti-ship cruise missile of Ukrainian manufacture.
Read more: Romania and Ukraine to Enhance R-360 Neptune Missiles Together
Today, on August 23, the complete destruction of the Conroe Trader ferry was confirmed by Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, in a comment to RFE/RL:
"We can confirm the information that this target was destroyed by the Naval Forces," he noted. This statement also indirectly confirms the Neptune missile was used in this strike. For the record, Defense Express notes that Ukraine also has other weapons capable of doing it, e.g. the ATACMS ballistic missile or Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missile.
Pletenchuk stressed that the ferry was an important asset in view of its active involvement in russian military logistics. According to him, this ship carried fuel, lubricants for the supply of russian forces, and weapons, making it a legitimate target.
Soon afterward, journalists from RFE/RL's project Skhemy published fresh satellite images of Port Kavkaz that showcase the scale of destruction inflicted to the port's infrastructure and the ferry. As seen, Conroe Trader is completely destroyed, and a few nearby boats likely damaged as well. Traces of fire are visible on the vessel and in the port, a segment of railway is heavily damaged.
Супутникові знімки демонструють наслідки удару ЗСУ по порту «Кавказ» у Керченській протоці.На них видно знищений пором та декілька невеликих суден, що стоять неподалік, які також могли бути ушкоджені внаслідок удару, а також пошкоджену інфраструктуруhttps://t.co/WWkHnFhARs pic.twitter.com/PfczDC5YXA
— Радіо Свобода (@radiosvoboda) August 23, 2024
Earlier Defense Express reported on another strike inflicted by the Neptune missile over the past few days, it was directed at the S-300 air defense system stationed in the Rostov Region of russia, on duty to cover the oil refinery in Novoshakhtinsk. That is to remind that once exclusively anti-ship Neptune has undergone multiple improvements and modifications to enable attacks on land targets. Besides, it's not Neptune's first attack on Port Kavkaz, either.
Read more: The Neptune Missile Is Suspected in Strike on russian S-300 System Near Novoshakhtinsk
