Big setback for Putin as Russia’s ballistic missile test goes horribly wrong, rocket crashes at…

With other countries reducing their Russian oil purchases due to high tariffs, Putin appears to be facing a major setback. More bad news came for Putin when a Russian hypersonic missile exploded at the launch site during a test. A video of the event is circulating on various social media platforms. Reports state that the UR-100N is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being tested in conjunction with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. As part of the testing, once the missile was discharged skyward (upward), it then fell directly downwards. It is believed that the engine malfunctioned before launch. Therefore, instead of taking off, the missile did a flip and returned to the location where the launch had originated.

What happened during Russia’s ballistic missile test?

A video is currently circulating on Russian Telegram channels that depicts the unsuccessful launch of the UR-100N intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile was purportedly armed with a hypersonic glide vehicle known as the Avangard system, Russia’s strongest hypersonic glide vehicle, which is capable of reaching speeds exceeding Mach 27 (approximately 33,000 kilometers per hour), and evading enemy aerial defence systems in addition to launching a nuclear weapon at its intended destination.

Where did the missile crash occur?

The missile test was reported by Russian media channel Astra as having occurred at the Yasny Launch Facility, located in the Orenburg region near the city of Yasny. Residents near Yasny claimed that the missile, which was supposed to be launched, exploded before it actually made it to Earth’s surface because the launch failed. Yasny is home to the Russian 13th Orenburg Rocket Brigade and is one of the 11 locations in the Russian Federation from where long-range, ground-launched missiles can be fired All of these missiles are capable of performing nuclear strikes.

Images shared on social media demonstrate a dense purple-tinged smoke cloud rising from the site of the failed test missile. Defence Express, a prominent defence industry outlet, claims this colour correlates to the highly poisonous propellants found in some Soviet-designed missile platforms, as reported by The Sun. “Such a color is inherent only to missiles that use rather toxic fuel — nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, better known as ‘amyl’ and ‘heptyl’,” it stated, as reported by The Sun.

The missile can be detected by its maximum altitude of about 200 – 400 meters before it fails midair, causing massive damage when it crashes. The chemicals are used in heavy liquid-fuel ICBMs (e.g., R-36M2 “Satan,” RS-28 Sarmat) that Russia uses for strategic deterrents.

At the same time, Night Watch, a dedicated group of technology professionals, is disrupting communication on Russian missiles with a satirical rendition of a Kremlin propaganda tune, as reported by The Sun. In the previous fortnight, the group claimed to have taken down 19 Kinzhal missiles, which, according to President Putin, are “invincible.” The team told tech website 404 Media, they are using both this song and a command that redirects the missiles back to Earth. These missiles travel at speeds of Mach 5 (five times faster than the speed of sound) and are being brought down into vacant countryside locations.