"The Explosion Was Really Serious": What Happened During The Russian Pacific Fleet's Exercises

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On August 26, in Peter the Great Bay in Russia's Far East powerful explosions rocked the area. Ships of the Pacific Fleet were nearby, and shortly before that, exercises involving the nuclear submarine “Omsk” had taken place in the area. A theory has emerged that an “Oreshnik” missile may have detonated.

What could have happened on the Russian submarine? Could a missile or other munition have actually detonated there?

The website Charter97.org discussed this with Colonel (Res.) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, military expert, and flight instructor Roman Svitan:
— The explosion was indeed serious; there is video and photographic evidence. The question is what exactly caused it and where it occurred.
This is an area where the Russian Navy operates. Therefore, the incident could be linked to either a submarine or surface ships. We can also factor in the use of unmanned boats (unmanned surface vessels—ed.).
Could a missile have exploded during launch? Yes, it could have. But in this area—it’s unlikely. It’s too close. It’s unlikely the Russians would have launched a missile there.
If the missile itself simply exploded for no reason, that’s a major problem. The explosion could have occurred while the missile was being loaded or unloaded. That’s also possible. The use of underwater vehicles cannot be ruled out either.
We could spend several hours discussing the possible causes and the likelihood of one explosion or another. In military affairs, especially on complex platforms like submarines, anything can explode, including support systems.
As for the “Oreshnik,” it’s unlikely that it was the cause. There are several reasons for this. This missile is still too unproven to be used at other sites. It’s practically unrealistic. Therefore, I think that if a missile did explode, it was some other type. It’s unlikely it was the “Oreshnik.”

— What can you tell us about the “Oreshnik” missile itself? Could it turn out that the whole story surrounding this Russian “superweapon” is largely is largely a myth and propaganda?

— The “Oreshnik” missile is a simplified version of the “Yars” and a rather capable series of missiles—the “Topol” and “Topol-M.” By and large, this missile was created by removing one of the Yars’ booster stages.

In other words, they took a decent intercontinental ballistic missile and reduced its range to that of a medium-range missile. From an intercontinental missile capable of traveling more than 5,000 kilometers, they created a missile capable of flying only up to 5,000 kilometers. From a practical standpoint, this is a completely pointless endeavor. There was absolutely no point in developing this missile at all, given that the “Topol” and “Yars” were already in production. This was most likely an attempt to siphon off funds: to carve out a budget line item and then divert the money elsewhere.

From a military standpoint, this is simply a pointless modification when intercontinental ballistic missiles already exist. It’s like having a pistol and suggesting, “Let’s make a slingshot.” Why would you need a slingshot if you already have a pistol? It’s the same situation here. It’s just that you can allocate funds for a slingshot. Or, on the other hand, you can use the creation of something new for PR purposes.
Although it’s not really such a new weapon. It’s something that already existed—and was mostly developed by the Soviet Union. The “Topol” series was originally developed by the USSR. So all of this looks more like a PR stunt, and one with a corrupt slant at that. And now they have to somehow run with this story. The Russians are running around with the “Oreshnik” like it’s a hot potato.

The operational effectiveness of this missile is far too low. It’s much lower than that of the “Topol” and “Yars” missiles.

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