Russia has tried and failed to test a nuclear torpedo recently.
Russia has tried and failed to test a nuclear torpedo
A senior US source has said that several Russian naval vessels - including the cruise missile submarine the Belgogrod - were seen leaving testing areas in the Arctic and heading back to base without conducting any exercises.
Washington believes that the vessel could have run into technical problems and the official told CNN that the Russians have a limited window to test the weapon as waters in the area will soon freeze over.
An unnamed Western diplomat says it is another military blunder from Vladimir Putin following the failures of soldiers on the ground in the Ukraine war.
The diplomat said: "This can be seen as part of the bigger picture and Russia's recent military practice, sending ill-trained and under-equipped troops to Ukraine."
The Belgogrod is one of Russia's most modern vessels and is equipped to carry the Poseidon torpedo - a nuclear-powered underwater drone that can carry both conventional and nuclear munitions.
Putin has made a number of veiled threats about nuclear escalation and has claimed that the world faces "probably the most dangerous decade" since the end of World War II.
The tyrant said last month: "We're at a historical frontier. Ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time important decade since the end of World War Two."