U.S. officials suspect the Russian navy has attempted to test its Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo.
This week Russian naval vessels, including the cruise missile submarine Belgorod, were detected leaving a testing area in the Arctic Sea and heading back to port.
American government insiders told the network they suspect the Russians may have experienced technical difficulties, leading to the mission being aborted.
The test of a Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo would likely have further inflamed tensions between Moscow and Washington, which are already sky-high following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
On Friday Ukrainian troops raised their flag in the key southern city of Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces during the first weeks of the war.
The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, has said Russian troops could suffer more than their Ukrainian counterparts over the next few months due to a lack of winter clothing.
The Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo is an unmanned underwater vehicle, capable of carrying either a nuclear or conventional warhead.
According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, published earlier this year, Poseidons are intended as retaliatory weapons in the event of a nuclear strike on Russia.
