Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces carried out a combat-training launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on August 29. The missile was fired from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region toward the Kura test range in Kamchatka.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not identify the missile used in the test, describing it only as a solid-fuel mobile-based system. Military Watch Magazine (MWM), citing its sources, reported that the launch may have involved a Yars ICBM.

The test came four days after talks in Moscow with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. According to MWM, rising tensions between Russia and NATO were among the main issues discussed during the meeting.

The magazine said Western circles are increasingly concerned about a possible Russian response to more frequent Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities and infrastructure. Scenarios being considered in the West reportedly include strikes on logistics chains inside NATO countries used to support Kiev, as well as the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons against targets in Ukraine.

Russia’s strategic and tactical nuclear forces remain a major deterrence factor for NATO, MWM noted. The Yars system forms part of that arsenal. Russia operates the world’s largest fleet of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, with most Yars systems deployed on mobile launchers. Their mobility makes them significantly more difficult to detect and target.

Following the August 29 launch, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that all planned objectives had been completed. The test also confirmed the missile’s stated flight characteristics.

MWM also recalled the May launch of the heavier silo-based Sarmat ICBM. The missile is compatible with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and is designed to carry multiple warheads. Such systems are expected to enter experimental combat duty by the end of 2026.