diff --git a/pkg/operator/ceph/object/rgw.go b/pkg/operator/ceph/object/rgw.go
index d4354bb78c0a..6b86e37c806c 100644
--- a/pkg/operator/ceph/object/rgw.go
+++ b/pkg/operator/ceph/object/rgw.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func (c *clusterConfig) startRGWPods(realmName, zoneGroupName, zoneName string)
 		// Create deployment
 		deployment, err := c.createDeployment(rgwConfig)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil
+			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create rgw deployment")
 		}
 		logger.Infof("object store %q deployment %q started", c.store.Name, deployment.Name)