In the early hours of May 19, 2025, the aggressor state Russia is preparing a demonstrative “training-combat” launch of an RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from a mobile Yars system. This was reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR).
According to intelligence data, the launch is planned to take place near the settlement of Svobodny in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region. The missile will be equipped with a training warhead and is to be launched by a crew from the 433rd Missile Regiment of the 42nd Division, part of the 31st Army of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces.
The likely purpose of the launch is to exert psychological pressure and intimidate Ukraine as well as EU and NATO member states. According to HUR, the range of the three-stage solid-fuel RS-24 missile exceeds 10,000 kilometers.