On November 28th, a colossal accident occurred during the launch of an intercontinental missile in Russia. The launch took place at the Yasny Missile Range near Orenburg in southern Russia. Footage captured the missile losing direction shortly after launch, flipping completely in the air, self-destructing partially, with the remaining parts crashing to the ground. The rocket fuel and smoke filled the air near the Kazakhstan border.
It was pointed out that the missile being tested was the latest RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile by Russia. Sarmat was developed by Russia in the 2000s to replace the RS-18 Satan intercontinental ballistic missile. It is Russia’s most advanced nuclear missile.
Sarmat is a heavy-duty liquid-fueled intercontinental missile capable of carrying 11 heavy or 16 light multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle nuclear warheads. It can also be used in conjunction with hypersonic weapons, such as the Avangard hypersonic gliding vehicle it has previously carried.
On April 20, 2022, Russia successfully test-launched the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time, hitting the target at the Kamchatka Peninsula test range. Russia stated that the weapon is currently the most powerful and longest-range ballistic missile in the world. Russian President Putin stated that Sarmat has the capability to overcome all modern missile defense systems.
From this missile test, it is evident that Russia’s claims were not unfounded, as the Sarmat missile managed to “break through” Russia’s formidable S-400 and S-500 air defense systems, falling on an important missile launch site within Russia in just one minute.
The Russian missile launch failure, even turning against itself, is not an uncommon occurrence. We see in a video from 2022, the S-400 air defense system in Russia attempting to intercept Ukrainian missiles, but one missile after launch turned towards its own position, resulting in a massive explosion.
The “heroics” of the S-400 do not end there. In another video from around 2018, an incident shows a Russian S-400 missile launch failure, where the missile engine malfunctioned, causing it to fall vertically to the ground, with a dramatic explosion upon impact, consuming the S-400 launcher vehicle.
In the process of developing high-tech weapons, failures are inevitable. However, the various absurd failures of Russian weapons indicate underlying quality issues. Often, even if the design meets requirements, issues in manufacturing processes, materials, or quality control can lead to such problems.
Of particular concern is the recent failure of Russia’s advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which is theoretically meant to carry over a dozen MIRV warheads. If in the event of a nuclear war this weapon carries multiple warheads and fails during launch, causing the warheads to explode on Russian territory, the consequences could be catastrophic. Putin’s previous threats regarding the use of nuclear weapons underline the gravity of such failures.
Russia has faced more bad news. Recently, at Russia’s vital Baikonur Cosmodrome, a launch tower collapsed during the ascent of Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, rendering Russia’s sole platform for ferrying crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station inoperable.
The launch occurred successfully on November 27 at 2:27 pm local time, with the spacecraft carrying three astronauts reaching the International Space Station three hours later. The crew included one American NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts.
Furthermore, at launch pad 30, the platform sustained damage resulting in structural collapse due to the force of the flames, severe damaging the launch site, leading to indefinite suspension of all Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft launch missions. Russian space expert Yegorov noted that Russia has lost the capability to send humans into space, with the restoration process estimated to be lengthy, possibly requiring up to two years.
Despite Russia’s claim as a aerospace superpower, incidents such as the accidents involving the S-400 air defense system, the most advanced intercontinental nuclear missile, and the catastrophic failure of the launch platform reveal significant setbacks. While repair of the launch platform may take two years, Russia’s current national strength may prolong the restoration process.
A prominent example is Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. The carrier has been lying idle in Russian shipyards for over a decade, with resumption initially anticipated in 2018, later deferred to 2020, 2023, and now to 2025. As of now, there is no hope for the operational redeployment of this flagship Russian aircraft carrier.
Another event on November 28 in the Black Sea saw a major incident involving a large Russian oil tanker, engulfed in flames. This tanker was part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, international sanctions targeted Russia’s oil shipping companies. However, due to the complexities of international maritime operations, it is difficult to ascertain the actual controller of such vessels, potentially registered under flags of convenience like Panama. Russia significantly uses such shadow fleets for oil exports. This incident represents the second occurrence of such a disaster, with uncertainty whether it was accidental or orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence.
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