On November 1st, 2005 at 20:10 MSK (17:10 UTC) the Strategic Rocket Forces conducted a successful test launch of a Topol ballistic missile (some reports indicate that it was a Topol missile). [UPDATE: It was a Topol/SS-25 missile. According to START Treaty data, the launcher that was deployed in Kapustin Yar was Topol/SS-25.] The missile was launched from a mobile launcher from the Kapustin Yar test range (Astrakhan region). It was reported to have successfully reached its target at the Sary-Shagan test range in Kazakhstan.

The launch was used to test missile defense penetration capabilities of the missile. The Sary-Shagan test site hosts a number of radars (for example, the Neman radar) that can provide detailed information about the signature of the warhead and various penetration aids carried by the missile.