Direct proof of use
Anti-ship cruise missiles are directly documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through Ukrainian Neptune and Western-supplied Harpoon use during the full-scale phase of the conflict. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence says two anti-ship missiles struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022, after an earlier believed Neptune strike on the frigate Admiral Essen.
U.S. and naval reporting independently support the Moskva use claim. ABC News reported that a senior U.S. defence official assessed Moskva had been hit by at least one, and probably two, Ukrainian Neptune missiles; USNI News later reviewed imagery-based analysis of the April 13 strike and described two Neptune anti-ship missiles hitting the cruiser.
Harpoon anti-ship missiles also entered Ukrainian Black Sea service in 2022. USNI News reported Ukrainian deployment of Harpoons for use against Russian surface ships, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Harpoon coastal-defense systems for Ukraine, and a senior U.S. defense official said Ukraine used recently acquired Harpoons to attack a resupply ship during pressure on Russian forces around Snake Island.
Sources: Ukrainian Cruise Missiles From Development to Effective Combat Deployment, Russian War Ship Moskva Sunk by Ukrainian Neptune Anti-Ship Missile, US Says, USNI News Moskva Analysis, USNI Ukraine Deploys Harpoons, DOD Harpoon Systems to Ukraine, DOD Snake Island Retreat
Narrative
In this conflict, anti-ship cruise missiles served Ukraine as coastal-defense weapons, maritime strike systems, and area-denial tools in the Black Sea. Neptune was the domestic missile line tied to the most consequential early event: the loss of Moskva, Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship. Russia attributed the ship's loss to fire, ammunition detonation, towing, and storm conditions, while Ukrainian and U.S. assessments attributed the damage to Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
Harpoon represented a partner-supplied complement to Neptune. Public reporting places Harpoon in land-based Ukrainian coastal-defense service rather than shipboard Ukrainian Navy use, with Danish-supplied missiles and U.S.-funded coastal-defense systems helping hold Russian surface ships and Snake Island resupply at risk.
The public evidence supports Ukrainian anti-ship cruise missile use against Russian naval targets and resupply vessels in the Black Sea. It does not support assigning every Ukrainian maritime strike in the war to this weapon class, because Ukraine also used ballistic missiles, uncrewed surface vessels, aircraft, drones, and other strike systems against Russian naval and coastal targets.
Sources: Ukrainian Cruise Missiles From Development to Effective Combat Deployment, Russian War Ship Moskva Sunk by Ukrainian Neptune Anti-Ship Missile, US Says, USNI News Moskva Analysis, USNI Denmark Harpoons, USNI Ukraine Deploys Harpoons, DOD Snake Island Retreat
