Kommersant-daily, July 28, 2001, p. 3
This was announced at a July 27 press conference in Moscow chaired by Vice Admiral Valery Dorogin and writer Nikolai Cherkashin. According to Mr. Dorogin, the only thing known for sure is that after two powerful blasts on board the submarine the craft touched the seabed. Nevertheless, the press conference hosts stressed that it is worth lifting the submarine, if for no other reason then because the Kursk lies at a depth of only 107 meters, and Russia cannot afford to leave the nuclear-powered submarine in such a heavily navigated area of the Barents Sea. Admiral Dorogin also noted that, despite the current decline of the Russian Navy, naval specialists continue successful operations to improve military hardware, one proof of which is that the plan to lift the Kursk was solely developed by the Rubin Design Bureau.
