MOSCOW, August 21 (AVN) - The RF Navy command and country's political leadership learned about the Kursk SSBN distress in the Barents Sea and that most of the crew members were killed several hours after the accident, a high-ranking official in the Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency on Monday.
According to him, the thorough examination of the accident area and the SSBN's hull together with the deep sea picturing were held with the use of a deep submergence rescue vehicle right after the SSBN had been detected. The examination showed that most of the compartments excluding the first two stern parts were flooded. Some of the hull parts distorted by the explosion and compartments' equipment were found far from the SSBN.
Navy Commander Vladimir Kuroyedov immediately reported on the results of the examination to President Vladimir Putin resting in Sochi, the source added. That was the reason for both Kuroyedov and Putin to say in the first public comments that the situation in the SSBN was extremely difficult. Kuroyedov said then that it was extremely difficult to predict the possible outcomes of the accident for the SSBN's crew.
The source declined to comment on the reasons for the Defence Ministry and Navy to go on for optimistic reports from the accident area and deceitful statements such as that there was connection with the crew, the emergency illumination and air regeneration systems were on. But he said it was possible that the Kremlin ordered to give false information on the accident to the mass media.