Russia has suffered a failed missile test at the Yasny launch complex in the Orenburg region near the Kazakhstan border, with the rocket exploding shortly after liftoff and producing a purple plume, according to footage circulated in late November.
Video shows the rocket climbing only briefly before pitching off course, falling back toward the ground, and exploding at low altitude.
Residents reported a loud blast, while regional officials said no evacuation was planned and offered no information about the system involved.
Clues Point to RS-28 Sarmat Failure
Several factors point to another failed trial of the RS-28 Sarmat super heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, Ukrainian defense outlet Defense Express reported.
These include Yasny’s R-36 Scarp type silo infrastructure, the use of hypergolic propellants, and the absence of any scheduled space launch or strategic forces exercise, all pointing to a likely failed test of the RS-28 system.
The outlet noted that “heptyl” fuel, a common Russian codename for asymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, has “strong toxic and mutagenic effects,” and linked the purple‑tinted cloud to previous Proton and R‑36 accidents.
Defense Express added that such coloration is “inherent only to missiles that use quite toxic fuels,” referring specifically to heptyl and its oxidizer, nitrogen tetroxide, codenamed “amyl.”
Only a handful of RS-28 Sarmat tests are documented, with one launch judged at least partially successful, according to the news agency.
RS-18A Stiletto, Avangard Possibility
Other sources offered a different interpretation.
Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi suggested the missile that failed could have been a UR‑100N, also known as the RS-18A Stiletto, carrying an Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle.
However, the RS‑18A UR‑100N, also being launched from Yasny, uses the same fuel combination as Sarmat, making it difficult to determine which missile failed based solely on the plume and launch signatures.
The site still houses older R‑36M2 Voyevoda missiles alongside the newer Avangard-equipped units, adding to the confusion.
