Failure for the Kremlin

Putin’s weapon from hell explodes in its silo

The Sarmat II during an earlier test - a current one is now likely to have gone badly wrong.

(Bild: Russian Miistry of Defense/Press Service)

It is supposed to be a groundbreaking Russian development, but the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile has apparently suffered its fourth major setback. The "world destroyer missile" designated by NATO as "Satan 2" (SS-X-30) exploded while still in the missile silo. The Kremlin is tight-lipped about the incident.

It is a "truly unique weapon that will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces", enthused Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin shortly after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. So far, however, it has remained a mere announcement - at the beginning of September, another test with the missile is likely to have gone badly wrong.

60-metre crater instead of rocket launch site
Satellite images from the US company Maxar are supposed to prove this: on 21 September, they registered a proper crater with a diameter of around 60 meters - right next to the launch silo at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia. The images also indicate further damage in the surrounding area, none of which was visible at the beginning of the month.

This is likely to be the fourth failure since Putin began developing his infernal weapon. It is said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads and to be the world's largest intercontinental ballistic missile. President Putin announced the alleged super missile back in 2018. In mid-2023, he declared that the Sarmat missile systems would "enter combat service in the near future". Even then, international weapons experts were skeptical about this.

"Incomparable" weapon with setbacks
According to the Russian president, the new Sarmat missile should have a range of 18,000 kilometers - this is "incomparable", Putin said, as it would also be able to overcome the defensive systems for nuclear warheads.

With a launch weight of over 208 tons, the system can carry up to 15 nuclear warheads with multiple, independently controllable reentry vehicles, as well as several so-called Awangard hypersonic glide missiles developed in Russia.

It is unclear exactly what could have gone wrong during the test of the Sarmat, which is powered by liquid gas. The satellite images also do not reveal whether it was an accident during refueling or a failure during a launch attempt.

"There was a serious incident"
 "All indications are that it was a failed test," explains analyst Pawel Podwig on the short message platform X (formerly Twitter). "There's a big hole in the ground," he explained of the footage: "There was a serious incident with the missile and the silo."

There is still no official confirmation of the incident - the Kremlin is remaining silent. There have also been no announcements about planned tests in recent days.