An intercontinental missile Sarmat exploded at a test site in Russia during tests

A Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental missile exploded at the Plesetsk test site in Russia during tests.

This was reported by OSINT analyst MT Anderson, who published a photo of the consequences of the incident.

Data points are still coming in for the launch site and I'm beginning to think this is an ongoing fire started by the launch activities. NOAA-20 and the SUOMI NPP satellites have two detections as they cross the area in their orbits. No way to tell from this data alone if the fire… https://t.co/feEjHoTavP pic.twitter.com/h6pxRMnY6j

— MeNMyRC (@MeNMyRC1) September 21, 2024

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According to him, the explosion occurred while still in the mine, which caused the formation of a large crater and damaged part of the landfill. The NOAA-20 and SUOMI NPP satellites recorded the fire after the explosion.

A Boeing RC-135S Cobra Ball reconnaissance aircraft took off from the American base in Alaska to observe the test, but did not record any launch. The expert suggested that the explosion could not have happened during the start, but perhaps during the fuel loading stage. According to the Russian channel «Military Informator», the missile was not equipped with a nuclear charge.

Sarmat is a strategic missile complex with an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 18 thousand kilometers. The missile has been in service with the Russian Federation since 2023, but all but one test launch in April 2022 ended in failure.

We will remind you that the Government of Ukraine recently determined the details of providing the population with means of personal protection in the event of a nuclear attack.

It should be noted that Ukraine is among the countries with the lowest level of fear of the nuclear threat. This is evidenced by the results of an international survey by the Gallup International research institute, which was conducted at the end of 2023.