On November 28, a powerful explosion occurred at a strategic missile base located near the city of "Yasny".
According to "The Moscow Times", a video described by witnesses shows the missile lifting from the silo, burning up in the air and crashing to the ground, followed by the formation of a huge purple cloud.
Pavel Podvig, a researcher for UN disarmament, stated that the exploded missile was a "Sarmat" in terms of its type. Russia has been developing this missile since 2013, but it has failed tests several times. In last year's test, the missile also exploded at the moment of launch, creating a large crater.
According to Étienne Marcoux, an expert from the Foundation for Strategic Research in France, the military is in a hurry to certify the missile by the end of this year, but consecutive malfunctions are not allowing this. It is said that in this test, the missile crashed to the ground just 1 km from the silo.
Some experts do not rule out the possibility that the missile could be an old "Voevoda", not a "Sarmat". However, the majority of specialists emphasized that the "cold launch" method visible in the video is characteristic of the "Sarmat".
In the opinion of observers, the explosion represents another setback for the "Sarmat" program, and President Putin's promise to deliver the missile to the troops by 2025 may not be realistic.
