Satellite imagery has appeared to show a massive crater at a Russian missile test centre after aΒ nuclear-capableΒ RS-28 Sarmat exploded in a humiliating blow for PresidentΒ Vladimir Putin.
The weapon – known in the West as Satan-2 – is regarded by the Kremlin as a powerful tool within its arsenal. However, the latest incident is believed to be the fourth successive failure, calling its reliability into question.
Sharing Planet Lab pictures taking at Plesetsk cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast on social media, analyst MeNMyR commented: “As is readily apparent, the RS-28 Sarmat test was a complete failure.
“The missile detonated in the silo leaving a massive crater and destroying the test site. “The Sarmat is a liquid fuelled missile so this accident could have occurred separate from the actual launch activity.β
