Putin showcases russian intercontinental ballistic missile Yars: what’s really behind this move

Russian President Putin showcases russian intercontinental ballistic missile Yars on the night of May 19, 2025 numerous soures say. An expert notes that the missile demonstration is aimed at intimidating Ukraine and the West.

A potential demonstration launch of the RS-24 “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile by Russia would have no real military significance.

This opinion was expressed by aviation expert and former test engineer at the Antonov Design Bureau, Kostyantyn Kryvolap, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.

“It’s just a time we have to get through,” the expert said. “We need to be prepared for this ‘Yars’ to some extent, but there’s no need to panic.

It certainly won’t be a game-changer. It only shows that Putin… can make threats, raise the stakes, act as if he’s all-powerful and doesn’t care about sanctions.

But just like Trump’s negotiations are a kind of theater, Putin’s threats with the ‘Yars’… are just theater for Trump and for Europe.”

According to Kryvolap, the launch is intended to intimidate Ukraine and the West, since Russia has nothing left with which to impress.

“I was sure there were two or three ‘Oreshnik’ units. But one was launched at Dnipro, the second burned down, and the third, most likely, never existed,” he noted.

The expert also compared the “Yars” to previous Russian developments. According to him, it is a three-stage missile that served as the basis for the creation of the RS-26 “Rubezh,” which never entered serial production. In the case of the “Oreshnik,” he noted, they retained two stages and attached a mock warhead to them.

As for the possible launch site, the expert believes that this time it could be carried out from Sverdlovsk Oblast, whereas the “Oreshnik” was launched from Kapustin Yar, which is about 800 kilometers from Dnipro.

“That’s why they’re forced to launch it from somewhere beyond the Urals — they can’t do it any closer, they need to stay within that distance limit. And even then, I believe it will be very difficult,” the aviation expert concluded.

RS-24 “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile launch – what’s known

As a reminder, Russia is preparing for a “training-combat” launch of the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from the “Yars” system during the night of May 19.

According to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the launch will be carried out by the crew of the 433rd Regiment of the 42nd Division of the 31st Army of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces near the town of Svobodny in Sverdlovsk Oblast.

As previously reported by Glavred, the RS-24 “Yars” is a fifth-generation Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a strategic nuclear system.

It is designed for retaliatory strikes in the event of a nuclear attack and comes in both silo-based and mobile versions.

Additionally, according to HUR, the missile will be launched by the crew of the 433rd Regiment of the 42nd Division, part of the 31st Army of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces.

The launch will take place in the area near the settlement of Svobodny in Sverdlovsk Oblast, located more than 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Ruslan Ivanenko

EMPR