In the early hours of May 19, russian occupation forces plan to conduct “training and combat launches” of an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the launches are set to take place from an unusual location – not the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, as is typically the case, but near the village of Svobodny in Sverdlovsk Oblast, home to the 433rd Missile Regiment.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has not provided an explanation for why russia has chosen to break with tradition, but this shift serves as an opportunity to examine past failed launches and disasters at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, both during the Soviet and russian periods.
Read more: North Korea’s Latest ICBM Raises Global Concerns with Striking Resemblance to russia’s Yars Missile
Most notably, satellite imagery released last year strongly suggests that an RS-28 Sarmat missile exploded at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome around late September 2024. The likely cause was a failed silo launch, which triggered a powerful explosion, leaving behind a large crater at the site. russian authorities, for obvious reasons, tried to conceal the incident.
My thanks to @MT_Anderson for providing this Planet Labs imagery and allowing me to publish it with comments. As is readily apparent, the RS-28 Sarmat test was a complete failure. The missile detonated in the silo leaving a massive crater and destroying the test site. The… https://t.co/FuKIaTNFVs pic.twitter.com/AuIpQRrDLa— MeNMyRC (@MeNMyRC1) September 21, 2024
Speaking of Plesetsk and RS-24 Yars launches specifically, it’s worth noting that russia experienced two consecutive failed launches of these ICBMs in 2023 – first on October 1 and then on November 25. In both cases, the missiles veered off course.
Several other incidents have occurred at Plesetsk in the post-Soviet era. In 2013, several officers died during routine maintenance work while cleaning a fuel tank. There was also an explosion involving a Soyuz-U launch vehicle just 30 seconds after liftoff, resulting in one fatality.
The most catastrophic accidents at Plesetsk, however, date back to the Soviet era. In addition to a fire in 1987, there were two major explosions: the first in 1973, during fueling of a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle, which killed up to 10 people; the second involved a Vostok-2M rocket and its satellite payload, killing as many as 50 personnel.
Defense Express has previously reported on other significant russian missile accidents, including an incident at the main base of the Northern Fleet, where hundreds of cruise and surface-to-air missiles were destroyed in a massive explosion.
Read more: russia Plans Provocative Yars ICBM Launch on May 19 to Intimidate Ukraine and the West
