Military watchers say a recent Russian test of an intercontinental ballistic missile failed on September 21.
The opinions come from what the media call “open-source intelligence analysts,” which seems to mean people with some expertise but who are not working for any particular government agency. The analysts say that pictures from satellites reveal that the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM never even got off the ground, instead exploding inside its underground launch silo. The images show a blast crater left behind.
One such analyst, posting to X (Twitter) said the test was “a complete failure,” with the rocket destroying the test site along with itself. He was commenting based on images supplied by Planet Labs, which offers up to date satellite imagery. This analyst, who goes by the online handle @MeNMyRC, suggested the mishap might have occurred when the rocket was being fueled, rather than during the launch sequence. The user said that NATO usually sends up a spy plane to monitor missile test launches, but NATO’s “Cobra Ball” craft was nowhere in sight, lending support to the idea that the failure occurred during fueling.
Russia first tested the Sarmat missile, which carries nuclear warheads, in 2022. But since then the missile has been plagued with problems. The failed test on Saturday is the fourth failure for this particular ICBM, even though Russie continues to claim that hte missile is on “combat alert.”
The same analyst, again posting on X, said satellite photos suggested the missile’s explosion may have set off a fire in nearby forests. But it was not clear whether the heat signatures that showed up in the images indicated an “incidental” fire or one sparked by the rocket explosion.
Whatever the case may be, Russia is trying to put forward a stance of military readiness. A few days ago, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said all the country’s nuclear weapons stood at “full combat readiness.”
Pictures of the ruined missile launch site can be viewed here.
