Russia is preparing another test of its “flying Chornobyl” Burevestnik cruise missile
A second Russian Il-976 SKIP (airborne command-and-measurement post) aircraft arrived at the Rogachevo airfield on Novaya Zemlya on Aug. 22-23, as shown by OSINT analysts at AviVector. This means both of Russia’s Il-976 SKIP aircraft, which track missile flight trajectories and telemetry and record test data, are now at the airfield. As Norwegian OSINT analyst Thord Are Iversen explained to The…
Russian authorities have deployed a second Il-976 SKIP aircraft to Novaya Zemlya's Rogachevo airfield, located in the Arctic archipelago, according to OSINT analysts from AviVector. This deployment indicates that Russia may be preparing for a new test of the controversial Burevestnik intercontinental cruise missile, which is equipped with a nuclear power unit.
The arrival of the second aircraft, along with A-50U radar planes, An-26 military transports, An-74D aircraft, and several helicopters, suggests that Russia is likely to commence new tests of the Burevestnik missile system, which is rumored to leave a radioactive trail during flight. Norwegian OSINT expert Thord Are Iversen noted that the presence of military ships in the Barents and Kara Seas is also suggestive of missile testing activities.
While there have been no reported detections of radiation or nuclides by international radiation monitoring networks, some experts believe that the missile's radioactive emissions could pose a greater threat to Russian populations than to foreign adversaries. Despite repeated claims from Russian President Vladimir Putin that the missile's testing has been successful, Western analysts have expressed skepticism, citing low success rates in previous tests and the missile's alleged unreliability.
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