In the old Soviet days, this would be a crushing blow to national prestige. Nowadays though it's just par for the course.

"Preliminary analysis results suggest that a deviation between the actual and calculated parameters of the propulsion maneuver led the Luna-25 spacecraft to enter an undesignated orbit and it ceased to exist following a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roscosmos stated, their version of NASA.

Some have mentioned that the failure was largely due to Western sanctions making the spacecraft wholly reliant on Russian technology. Rampant corruption also sent the costs skyrocketing. So, twenty years and billions of rubles were wasted for nothing.

Source: BBC

Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control, officials say.

It was Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years.

The craft was due to be the first ever to land on the Moon's south pole, but failed after encountering problems as it moved into its pre-landing orbit.

It was set to explore a part of the Moon which scientists think could hold frozen water and precious elements.

Roscosmos, Russia's state space corporation, said on Sunday morning that it had lost contact with the Luna-25 shortly after 14:57pm (11:57 GMT) on Saturday.

Preliminary findings showed that the 800kg lander had "ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon", it said in a statement.

It said a special commission would look into why the mission failed.

According to Roscosmos (their NASA), via TASS:

"Preliminary analysis results suggest that a deviation between the actual and calculated parameters of the propulsion maneuver led the Luna-25 spacecraft to enter an undesignated orbit and it ceased to exist following a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roscosmos stated.

Nice wording that.