Humiliation for Putin as ‘unstoppable’ Satan-2 missile explodes, obliterating Russia’s only test site for the hypersonic weapon – potentially delaying the project for YEARS

Vladimir Putin was humiliated today after his “unstoppable” Satan-2 missile exploded, destroying Russia’s only test site for the hypersonic weapon.

Satellite images show the devastation left by the explosion at the Plesetsk test site in northern Russia. An observation building near the launch site was partially destroyed, suggesting that there may have been casualties among rocket scientists.

A giant 60-meter-wide crater and scorched earth can be seen at the site of the Satan-2 launch site.

The test program for the rocket, also known as RS-28 Sarmat, could now be delayed for years or even halted after a series of failed launches, experts say.

The monstrous ‘unstoppable’ hypersonic missile is designed to hit the West by flying over the North or South Pole, making it impossible to take out with anti-aircraft fire.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, a test flight over the South Pole was expected last year.

Putin has boasted that the apocalyptic 208-ton intercontinental silo-launched 15,880mph nuclear weapon, the size of a 14-story apartment building, is “unstoppable” by the West. Satan-2 carries ten warheads of 750 kilotons each.

According to NASA FIRMS, fires raged for six to 12 hours after the catastrophic incident and several fire trucks were seen at the scene where the fire was extinguished.

Russian state media, controlled by Putin, is not allowed to report on the explosion in Plesetsk – or the reason for it.

OSINT analyst MeNMyRC said the evidence indicated the missile test was aborted before explosion.

The explosion could have been caused by the pumping out of the highly hazardous fuel UDMH from the rocket, which releases flammable vapours into the air.

One theory is that a fuel leak in the silo led to the catastrophic event after the launch was aborted for other reasons.

“This explosion in the silo could very well indicate that the test had already failed/postponed and that the accident occurred during defueling or related operations,” MeNMyRC said.

Norwegian OSINT analyst Thord Are Iversen said: ‘This was the only silo in Plesetsk for testing Sarmat and now it has to be completely rebuilt.

‘They will have the silos in Uzhur available soon, but whether they can or want to use them for testing is still the question.’

The destroyed silo is the only one used so far, in April 2022, for the successful test launch of Satan-2.

Russia had issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen or Notice to Air Missions), which was later withdrawn. This NOTAM apparently referred to the missile test.

“The destruction of the site will undoubtedly have major consequences for the flight program, which already appears to be experiencing significant delays,” said French strategic systems and technologies analyst Etienne Marcuz.

Rebuilding the silo would take “at least several months, if not years.”

Putin may have to cancel the program altogether due to the repeated failures.

‘The latter option is unlikely, as Sarmat is one of the future cornerstones of Russian deterrence.

‘However, the programme will need to be thoroughly revised to make it reliable, and that could take years, especially as Western sanctions appear to be hitting the sector hard.

“But this failure does undermine the Russian narrative about strategic ‘superweapons’ that are meant to frighten the West.”

Putin insisted on mass-producing the missile and launching it with troops earlier this year, despite only one successful test. However, it is far from clear whether it is safe to use.

The Sarmat-Satan-2 complex is intended to replace the Voevoda (or Satan) rocket, which has been in use since the 1980s.

According to Russian reports, Sarmat faced Western sanctions during the war in Ukraine, preventing its makers from obtaining key components.

Putin propagandists regularly threaten to hit the West with Satan-2.

Putin himself said in April 2022: “This truly unique weapon will strengthen the fighting capabilities 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 target destruction range in the world.

“This truly unique weapon will significantly enhance the combat potential of our armed forces.”

Another of Putin’s superweapons, the Boerevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, also suffered a catastrophic event during a test in 2019 and remains non-operational.

The explosion at the test site occurred after a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit a Satan-2 nuclear missile, causing an apocalyptic explosion last weekend.

A secret ammunition depot in Toropets in the Tver region, where one of the Russian president’s nuclear missiles was located, was hit by a Ukrainian drone on Saturday, it was reported.

It is said to have taken place just 10 miles from an “indestructible” 30,000-ton munitions storage facility that was destroyed last Wednesday.

The claim that the rocket had been destroyed came from a Russian Telegram channel. A news blackout amplified the rumors.

It was also claimed that another site housing North Korean missiles supplied to Putin by Kim Jong Un was also hit.

Mushroom clouds and exploding shells lit up the night sky above this facility in the Russian city of Tikhoretsk in the Krasnodar region during a devastating targeted attack by Ukrainian kamikaze drones.