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Ukrainian long-range drone successfully completes 3,000-kilometer test, Zelensky says

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk March 17, 2025 9:59 PM 2 min read
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, Poland, on April 05, 2023. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 17 in his evening address that a Ukrainian long-range drone has successfully completed testing, demonstrating its ability to fly 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).

"There is good news about long-range drones. Our drone has passed a 3,000-kilometer test," Zelensky said following a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for Ukraine’s defense and security forces.

Kyiv uses long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory, targeting military infrastructure such as airfields, oil refineries, and logistics hubs.

During the meeting, participants also discussed a new long-range missile developed by Ukraine, the Long Neptune.

"We can say that we are satisfied with the results of the strikes. But we need to produce more missiles, more drones, and we will be talking about this with our partners this week," Zelensky said.

Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk earlier said that the Ukrainian Navy is the only structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that uses the Long Neptune missiles.

Ukraine has also developed long-range missile-drone hybrids, such as the Palianytsia and Peklo models, featuring turbojet engines as alternatives to cruise missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky has set a target of producing at least 30,000 long-range drones in 2025.

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