Yekaterinburg Fireball

A massive fireball was recorded above Siberia, near Yekaterinburg, on November 14, 2014.^[1] The explosion apparently happened near the city of Rezh.^[2]

Various explanations have been raised. The Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations said it was an on ground explosion, but the Siberian Times, a local newspaper, noted that "the light was not accompanied by any sound".^[3] Regarding the meteoroid hypothesis, the Siberian Times also noted that "a local observatory indicated nothing fell from the sky on the day of the flash".^[3] Another hypothesis that was raised is the high-altitude nuclear explosion.^[4] An high-altitude nuclear test usually creates a very large fireball, because the absence of air allows for a maximum expansion of the fire. Such a test would not create a strong electro magnetic impulse in a period of intense solar activity (as Autumn 2014 was^[5]). The CTBTO has independent means to watch for underwater, underground and atmospheric nuclear tests, but not for extra-atmospheric nuclear tests - for that it relies on information that member States such as the USA would provide. Asked about the event, Mr. Patrick Grenard of the CTBTO^[6] only noted that, regarding high altitude nuclear tests, the CTBTO relies on communication of information from Member States. The fireball happened not far from Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast, a city which houses the Elektrokhimpribor plant known for making nuclear weapons. A conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) was held in Yekaterinburg in mid-November 2014 ; its topic was air/missile defence.^[7] Thus the fireball, if it was confirmed to be a nuclear explosion, could be understood as a test of Russian capabilities for ICBM interception. The mystery, however, remains.

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