By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Experts said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin suffered an embarrassing setback as his feared ‘Satan 2’ weapon failed four out of five missile tests.
Satellite images reviewed by Worthy News appeared to show extensive damage at the launch pad of Russia’s Plesetsk test site, where the nuclear-capable RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile exploded.
A crater that experts said was about 60 meters (196 feet) wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, along with visible destruction nearby, was not seen in images taken earlier in the month.
It suggested that the explosion in the silo created a vast crater and destroyed the test site.
U.S. space technology company “Maxar collected new high-resolution satellite imagery yesterday (September 21st) that reveals the aftermath of a dramatic launch failure of a Russian RS-28 ICBM, said George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.
“A large crater…is visible at the launch silo and extensive damage in and around the launchpad can be seen, which suggests that the missile exploded shortly after ignition or launch,” Barros, who shared the photos, wrote on social media platform X.
LAUNCH FAILURE
“We must not understate the importance of this launch failure vis-à-vis the information war. … This is a failure for a strategic Russian weapon system, but it is also an informational victory for Ukraine.”
Experts said that because the RS-28 Sarmat uses liquid fuel, the explosion could have occurred without the rocket’s launch.
This was reportedly the fourth unsuccessful attempt to test this new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The only successful test of the Sarmat missile took place on April 20, 2022.
Moscow did not immediately acknowledge the missile test or confirm that it failed. However, it comes as Russia’s military has already suffered setbacks elsewhere.
Thousands of Ukrainian troops have entered Russia’s Kursk region in recent weeks in what Kyiv views as a response to Russian aggression.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A revised draft of a UN Security Council resolution outlining the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” is set to be circulated by the United States for review among Security Council members, according to an exclusive report by The Jerusalem Post.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has declined to immediately pursue membership in the Abraham Accords, citing Israel’s control of the Golan Heights as a primary obstacle, though he suggested the Trump administration could eventually facilitate such negotiations.
French authorities have opened a formal judicial inquiry after chaos erupted during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris, where protesters lit flares and shouted anti-Israel slogans before being subdued by audience members.
Russia’s Republic of Dagestan has become the focus of an embarrassing aviation scandal after a helicopter carrying senior defense-industry officials broke apart in mid-air and crashed — an event caught on video and widely shared online, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced an unprecedented crisis Monday after its director-general and head of news resigned amid accusations of political bias at what was once regarded as the flagship of both Britain and journalism worldwide.
President Donald Trump secured a significant diplomatic breakthrough Monday as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed an agreement bringing Syria into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, making the war-torn nation the 90th member of the U.S.-led counterterrorism alliance.
In a disappointing setback for religious freedom advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment to hear former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis’s appeal, leaving in place a $360,000 judgment against her for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The justices let stand lower court rulings that found she violated couples’ constitutional rights under the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, despite what her legal team characterizes as a conflict with her First Amendment religious liberty rights.