Vladimir Putin was facing humiliation today after his ‘unstoppable’ Satan-2 missile exploded, obliterating Russia‘s only test site for the hypersonic weapon.
Satellite images show the destruction left behind by the blast at the Plesetsk test site in northern Russia, which partially wrecked an observation building close to the launch site, indicating there may be casualties among rocket scientists.
A giant 200ft wide crater and scorched earth can be seen on the site of the Satan-2 launch shaft.
Experts say the test programme for the rocket – also known as RS-28 Sarmat – may now be delayed for years, or could even be aborted after a series of failed launches.
The monster ‘unstoppable’ hypersonic missile is designed to strike the West by flying over the North or South Poles, making it impossible to strike down by air defences.
BEFORE: This is what the Plesetsk test site in northern Russia looked like ahead of the explosion
AFTER: Satellite images show the destruction left behind by the explosion, which partially wrecked an observation building close to the launch site, indicating there may be casualties among rocket scientists
Vladimir Putin was facing humiliation today after his ‘unstoppable’ Satan-2 missile exploded, obliterating Russia ‘s only test site for the hypersonic weapon
Putin has boasted that the apocalypse 208-ton intercontinental silo-launched 15,880mph nuclear weapon, the size of a 14-storey tower block, is ‘unstoppable’ by the West
A test had been expected flying over the South Pole, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS last year.
Putin has boasted that the apocalypse 208-ton intercontinental silo-launched 15,880mph nuclear weapon, the size of a 14-storey tower block, is ‘unstoppable’ by the West. Satan-2 carries ten nuclear warheads of 750 kilotons each.
Fires raged for six-to-twelve hours after the catastrophic incident, according to NASA FIRMS, and several fire trucks were seen as the blitzed site.
The Putin-controlled Russian state media has been censored from reporting the explosion at Plesetsk – or the reason behind it.
OSINT analyst MeNMyRC said the evidence indicated the missile test had been aborted before the explosion.
It may have been triggered by defuelling of the rocket’s highly dangerous propellant, UDMH, which produces flammable vapours in the air.
One theory is that a propellant leak in the silo led to the catastrophic event after the launch was aborted for other reasons.
‘This silo explosion could very well indicate that the test had already failed/been postponed and that the accident occurred during missile defuelling, or associated, operations,’ said MeNMyRC.
Norwegian OSINT analyst Thord Are Iversen said: ‘This was the only silo at Plesetsk for testing Sarmat and it now has to be built from scratch again.
‘They will have the silos at Uzhur available soon but whether they can or will use them for tests remains to be seen.’
The destroyed silo is the one used for the only successful Satan-2 test launch to date, in April 2022.
Russia had issued and later revoked a NOTAM – Notice to Airmen or Notice to Air Missions – evidently related to the missile test.
‘The destruction of the site will undoubtedly have major implications for the flight test programme, which already seems to be experiencing significant delays,’ said said French analyst on strategic systems and technologies, Etienne Marcuz.
Rebuilding the silo would take ‘at least several months, if not years’.
A giant 200ft wide crater and scorched earth can be seen on the site of the Satan-2 launch shaft
The Satan-2 missile (pictured above) carries ten nuclear warheads of 750 kilotons each
Green summer foliage has been vaporised as a crater is formed by the massive explosion at the test site
Putin may be forced to cancel the programme altogether due to the repeated failures.
‘This last option is unlikely, as Sarmat is one of the future cornerstones of Russian deterrence.
‘However, the programme will need a thorough review to make it reliable, which could take years, especially as Western sanctions seem to be severely affecting the sector.
‘That said, this failure severely undermines the Russian narrative about the strategic ‘super-weapons’ intended to terrify the West.’
Putin insisted on putting the missile in mass production then deploying it with troops earlier this year despite only one successful test. However, it is far from clear it is safe to use.
The Sarmat-Satan-2 complex is due to replace the Voevoda – or Satan – missile which has been in service since the 1980s.
Russian reports say that Sarmat has been hit during the war in Ukraine by Western sanctions that have prevented its makers obtaining key components.
Putin propagandists regularly threaten to strike the West with Satan-2.
Putin himself said in April 2022: ‘This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats, and make those who try to threaten our country with aggressive rhetoric think twice.’
Two months later he boasted: ‘We have successfully tested the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile.
‘It is the most powerful missile with the longest range of destruction of targets in the world.
‘This truly unique weapon will significantly strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces.’
Another Putin super-weapon – the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile – also suffered a catastrophic event during a test in 2019 and is not yet operational.
The explosion at the test site comes as a Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike reportedly struck a Satan-2 nuclear missile, prompting an apocalyptic explosion on the weekend.
Apocalyptic explosions tore apart two massive Russian missile and ammunition storage depots on the weekend
A secret ammunition silo facility at Toropets in Tver region that housed one of the Russian President’s nuke missiles was hit by Ukrainian drone, it was claimed on Saturday.
It allegedly happened just ten miles from an ‘indestructible’ 30,000 ton munitions storage site that had been obliterated last Wednesday.
The claim that the missile was destroyed came from a Russian Telegram channel and a news blackout intensified the rumour.
It was also claimed that another site, which is reported to house North Korean missiles supplied to Putin by Kim Jong Un, was hit.
Mushroom clouds and igniting shells lit up the night sky at this facility in the Russian town of Tikhoretsk in the Krasnodar region in a devastating pinpoint strike by Ukrainian kamikaze drones.
