Presumably, Russia is preparing to test an experimental cruise missile with a nuclear installation, the theoretical range of which is thousands of kilometers.
This is reported by the American newspaper "The New York Times" (NYT) with reference to satellite images and aviation data.
According to the publication, the movement of aircraft and vehicles at the Rogachevo airfield on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago (Arkhangelsk region) and near it corresponds to the preparation for the tests of the Burevestnik or SSC-X-9 Skyfall missile, which were already held in 2017 and 2018. American reconnaissance planes have also been tracking the area for the past two weeks.
"The New York Times" publishes evidence of preparations for the tests — satellite images from different days. Pictures taken on the morning of September 20 show numerous vehicles parked on the baseʼs launch pad, including a truck with a trailer that matches the size of the missile. The weather shelter, which usually covers a specific launch pad, was moved about 15 meters. At noon, the trailer disappeared, and the shelter was returned to its original location.
The photo was taken on the morning of September 20. It shows several cars, including one with a trailer that matches the size of the rocket.
Additional images from September 28 show that the launch pad is active again, there is a similar trailer, and the shelter has been moved back.
In addition, according to an analysis of satellite images by the Norwegian environmental organization Bellona, in early August at the Rogachevo Air Base, two Russian aircraft that collect data on missile launches were parked about 160 kilometers south of the launch site. The planes belong to the Russian nuclear company "Rosatom". According to additional satellite images, the planes remained at that base until at least September 26. During the tests of the "Burevestnik" in 2018, aircraft of the same type were also nearby.
The American publication suggests that Russia may also test only the rocket engine or a component of the rocket itself.
The "Burevestnik" missile is one of six strategic missiles in Russiaʼs arsenal, along with the "Kindzhal" and the "Avangard" hypersonic missile system, which Putin introduced in his 2018 speech. He claimed that this weapon was capable of overcoming and bypassing US defenses. The missile can carry a conventional warhead, but in practice is most likely to carry a nuclear payload, albeit a smaller one than most other nuclear weapons. According to experts, if this missile is used in wartime, it will be able to destroy large urban areas and military facilities.
The missile is dangerous not only because of its ability to carry a powerful nuclear warhead, but also to release harmful radioactive emissions if it explodes or malfunctions during testing.
Preliminary tests of "Burevestnik"
From 2017 to 2019, Russia conducted 13 known tests, all of which were unsuccessful. In previous tests, the rocket could not fly a distance close to the calculated range, which according to various estimates is approximately 23 thousand kilometers. During the most successful test flight, which lasted just over two minutes, the missile flew 35 kilometers before falling into the sea, according to US officials. During another test, the rocketʼs nuclear reactor failed to activate, causing it to fall just a few kilometers from the launch pad. For the test to be successful and the rocket to be able to cover the greatest possible distance, the nuclear reactor of the rocket must start in flight.
- On September 22, American journalists from the CNN channel published a story that the United States, China and Russia are expanding and equipping their nuclear test sites, probably to resume testing. We are talking about the Russian training ground in Novaya Zemlya, the Chinese one in Lop Nur, and the American one in the state of Nevada. Russia used the Novaya Zemlya archipelago as a nuclear test site from 1955 to 1990, conducting more than 130 tests there. Satellite images show that the site underwent extensive construction between 2021 and 2023, including the construction of new tunnels, and is almost ready for testing.