Satellite images suggest possible explosion of Sarmat intercontinental missile in Russia
Фото: Вікіпедія
An RS-28 "Satan" or "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile reportedly exploded in Russia, as indicated by satellite images.
This was reported by Defense Express and OSINT analysts.
It is worth noting that, on the night of September 21, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck two military arsenals of the Russian armed forces. Ukrainian drones targeted:
- The 23rd GRAU arsenal in the Tver region,
- The Tikhoretsk arsenal in the Krasnodar Territory.
Following these attacks, rumors circulated that Ukrainian forces had destroyed a Russian RS-28 "Satan" or "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile. However, this was not confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff.
In the Tver region, after the drone strike on the missile arsenal, the M-9 "Baltia" federal highway was closed, and the nearby railway station was evacuated.
On September 22, analysts released satellite images showing an RS-28 missile explosion in Russia. However, this incident was not related to the attacks from the previous day.
Photo: Х / MeNMyRC
OSINT analyst MT_Anderson shared satellite images of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, revealing the aftermath of a failed Russian intercontinental ballistic missile test, likely between September 20 and 22, 2024.
Photo: Х / MeNMyRC
The missile was launched from a silo but failed, resulting in a large explosion. Only a crater remained at the launch site.
"As you can imagine, the RS-28 'Sarmat' test was a complete failure. The missile detonated in the bunker, leaving a massive crater and destroying the test site," emphasized the OSINT analysts.
They added that the Sarmat's liquid-fueled design suggests the accident could have occurred during fueling, explaining the absence of Cobra Ball aircraft on the day of the incident.
Photo: Х / MeNMyRC
According to Defense Express, the explosion of an ICBM during a test launch is catastrophic. A similar event occurred in October 1960 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome during the first test launch of the R-16 missile.
This incident marks at least the fourth failed attempt to test the Sarmat heavy ICBM, according to OSINT.
In July 2022, Russia announced it was preparing to mass-produce the Sarmat missile, and in November, it planned another test of the "Sarmat" ICBM (NATO designation: "Satan-2").
Reference
On June 21, President Putin announced that the first Sarmat missiles would enter combat duty by the end of this year. The missile's first test launch took place in April at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region.
In April, Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva and State Duma deputy Oleksey Zhuravlev discussed on Russia 1 how long it would take the Sarmat ICBM to reach the capitals of Great Britain, Germany, and France, which are supplying weapons to Ukraine.
