Russia has suffered a rare and highly visible failure during a strategic missile test, after an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launched from the Yasny range in the Orenburg region exploded just seconds after liftoff, generating a toxic purple cloud that alarmed residents and raised questions about the state of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal modernization program.
According to eyewitness accounts and videos circulating on Russian social media, the missile rose no more than 200–400 meters before abruptly detonating in midair and crashing back to the launch area. The explosion created a distinctly purple-tinged cloud that drifted above the steppe, prompting immediate speculation among defense analysts about the type of propellant involved.
The failed launch occurred at the Yasny site, a dual-use complex hosting both a strategic missile base and a cosmodrome used for commercial space launches. Yasny is one of only a handful of facilities in Russia that can accommodate the testing and deployment of long-range missiles, including heavy liquid-fuel ICBMs capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Ukrainian defense outlet Defense Express reported that the unusual coloration of the cloud suggested the presence of highly toxic hypergolic propellants commonly used in Soviet-era missile designs. The publication noted, “Such a color is inherent only to missiles that use rather toxic fuel — nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, better known as ‘amyl’ and ‘heptyl’.” These chemicals ignite on contact and are typical of Russia’s older, heavy liquid-fuel systems.
The two propellants are used in the R-36M2 Voevoda—known to NATO as the “SS-18 Satan”—as well as in the newer RS-28 Sarmat, the missile Russia has touted as the cornerstone of its next-generation nuclear deterrent. While Moscow has kept silent on the identity of the missile involved in the failed launch, Defense Express analysts said the accident’s profile closely resembles previous Sarmat failures. “This may have been a test of the Sarmat missile,” the outlet reported, recalling that on September 21, 2024, a Sarmat test “exploded in the silo at the Plesetsk cosmodrome,” causing significant damage to its launch infrastructure.
Other regional observers have proposed that the missile could have been an older R-36M2 undergoing life-extension trials. The Voevoda remains in limited service but is far beyond its originally intended operational lifespan, and Russia has repeatedly attempted to validate and extend the system while awaiting full deployment of Sarmat.
Russian military officials have declined to comment on the incident, despite its visibility and reports from nearby residents who witnessed the explosion. Videos posted online show the purple cloud lingering over the area, raising environmental and public health concerns.
Toxicologists warn that the hypergolic propellants believed to be involved—particularly heptyl—pose extreme risks. Heptyl is considered highly carcinogenic and mutagenic, dangerous even in small concentrations, and capable of long-lasting contamination of soil, water, and air. Past crashes involving similar fuel types have required extensive cleanup efforts and caused significant ecological damage.
The failed test comes at a delicate time for Moscow, which has intensified its strategic messaging around nuclear deterrence while accelerating upgrades to its long-range missile forces. Repeated failures involving flagship systems such as Sarmat undermine official claims of rapid modernization and cast doubt on deployment timelines that Russian officials have publicly championed.
The United States appears to have taken keen interest in recent Russian missile activity. Observers noted the recent deployment of a U.S. Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft—tail number 61-2662—to Anchorage, Alaska. The aircraft joined another Cobra Ball, 62-4128, which had previously arrived from Kadena Air Base in Japan. The Cobra Ball specializes in monitoring ballistic missile launches, and analysts suggested that “it seems a Russian test missile is afoot that they do not want to miss,” indicating Washington may have been tracking signs of an impending Russian test.
