MOSCOW. July 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said the case investigating the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk has been closed.
"We have no doubts about the credibility of the conclusions provided by the investigation," the prosecutor general told Interfax at a news conference in Moscow on Friday.
He said the criminal case opened by the Main Military Prosecutor's Office on August 23, 2000, on charges of "violating safety regulations for the movement and operation of sea vessels entailing the death of two or more people" was closed due to the absence of any crime.
"Giving the legal assessment of the Kursk's sinking, I would like to praise the sailors for their heroism and self-sacrifice, as well as for their perfectly coordinated actions to prevent a catastrophe after the explosions," the prosecutor general said.
Commenting on the causes of the tragedy in the Barents Sea, Ustinov admitted that the economic problems faced by the country in the past ten years played their part. "I would not give any political assessment of the past decade, but would like to say that the extremely dire economic situation and under-funding of the army and navy did not help improve the armed forces' combat readiness," Ustinov said.