RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 215, Part I, 6 November 2000

DIVERS ENTER SUNKEN SUB'S FOURTH COMPARTMENT... Russian divers on 6 November entered the fourth compartment of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine, which sunk in the Barents Sea in August during maneuvers. The previous day, divers had entered that section of the vessel but had found their work hampered by poor visibility and the risk posed by debris obstructing their movements. The fourth compartment served as living quarters for the crew; at the time of the explosions that rocked the submarine, no more than 12 people are likely to have been there, according to Interfax. Of the 12 bodies recovered so far, 10 have been identified. JC

...AS NAVY COMMANDER STICKS TO FOREIGN SUB THEORY. Admiral Vladimir Kuroedov told Interfax on 3 November he is "certain" that the "Kursk" disaster was caused by a collision with a foreign submarine. He said that he is in possession of "certain facts" but has "insufficient proof" for the time being. However, "proof does not only lie on the sea bed," he added without elaborating. Kuroedov said that he will defend his position at the 8 November session of the government commission investigating the reasons why the "Kursk" sank. Last week, "Zhizn" and "Novaya gazeta" both reported that the "Kursk" had been hit by a "Vodopad" underwater torpedo fired by the Russian warship "Petr Velikii." But "The Moscow Times" on 4 November quoted Russian and Western experts as dismissing that theory. Several weeks after the disaster, the "Berliner Zeitung" had reported that that a Granit missile fired from "Petr Velikii" sank the "Kursk" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 September 2000). JC

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 215, Part I, 6 November 2000