More Details Emerge On Russia's Mysterious Missile Explosion

Business Insider: New details on Russia's mysterious missile disaster suggest a nuclear reactor blew up

* Russia's state weather agency said on Monday that a cloud of inert radioactive gases that swept across a Russian town earlier this month was produced by fast-decaying radioactive isotopes released by an explosion at the Nyonoksa testing range.
* Though Russia's explanations for what occurred have varied, the blast has been tied to a failed missile test.
* A Norwegian nuclear expert told The Barents Observer that these isotopes — of strontium, barium, and lanthanum — were caused by a "nuclear chain reaction," saying it was evidence that it "was a nuclear reactor that exploded."
* US experts and intelligence officials suspect that the failed weapons test involved the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, a superweapon that NATO calls the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.

A mysterious explosion at a Russian weapons testing site earlier this month released various radioactive isotopes, creating a cloud of radioactive gases that swept across a nearby town, the country's state weather agency said Monday, and experts said the mixture removes all doubt about what blew up.

The deadly August 8 blast at the Nyonoksa military weapons testing range released a handful of rapidly decaying radioactive isotopes — strontium-91, barium-139, barium-140, and lanthanum-140 — which have half-lives ranging from 83 minutes to 12.8 days, the Roshydromet national weather and environmental monitoring agency said in a statement on test samples.

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More Details Emerge On Russia's Mysterious Missile Explosion

Russia finds radioactive isotopes in test samples after accident -- Reuters
Russian agency reveals details of radiation levels after Aug. 8 'weapons' explosion -- CBC/AP
Exploding Russian rocket DID send huge cloud of radioactive gas across nearby town, officials confirm – but insist levels returned to normal and there is no health risk -- Daily Mail
Russia Identifies 4 Radioactive Isotopes From Nuclear Accident -- The New York Times
Russia says radioactive isotopes released by mystery blast -- The Guardian
Russia says missile test blast released radioactive isotopes -- The Hill
Russian Weather Agency Says Radioactive Isotopes Found After Accident -- RFE
Russia nuclear missile explosion resulted in radioactive isotopes found in test samples after accident -- FOX News
Russia Finds Radioactive Isotopes in Samples Taken After Severodvinsk Military Range Blast -- Sputnik
Russia Changes Position On Radiation Leaks Again Weeks After Nuclear Missile Explosion -- Warzone/The Drive