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Putin Knew Of Sailors' Deaths Immediately After Kursk Accident, Says Report
Russian President Vladimir Putin knew within hours of the tragedy that struck the Kursk submarine that most of the crew had died, AVN military news agency reported Monday citing a high-ranking defense source.
The senior defense ministry official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that navy chief Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov had informed Putin about the results of a survey of the stricken submarine conducted soon after two still-unexplained explosions and a possible collision sent it to the bottom of the Barents Sea on August 12.
The Russian president, who was holidaying at the Black Sea resort of Sochi at the time, has been under intense criticism for remaining on vacation until late last week instead of taking personal charge of the rescue operation.
News of the accident was not made public until August 14.
The first video reconnaissance by the Russian navy after the accident showed that the front seven compartments had been flooded, according to the defense official.
The source did not rule out that the Kremlin had mounted a campaign to mislead the public by giving the impression there was still hope of rescuing the 118 crew.
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