Moskovsky Komsomolets, January 14, 2002, p. 2
This statement was made by Fleet Deputy Prosecutor Pavel Volodinsky. Right now, work in Compartment Three is underway. It is difficult, Volodinsky said, because the “way in is closed by metal debris that has to be cut away.” According to Volodinsky, investigators move in from the direction of the hole cut from Compartment Two. When Compartment Three has been cleaned and inspected, the submarine will be handed over to the Northern Fleet for dismantlement.
The team of investigators is down to two-thirds of its numerical strength. The men work three shifts, eight hours each.
Volodinsky says that “a lot of evidence has been collected within the framework of the criminal proceedings” but time for final conclusion has not come yet. “The data on results of the investigation will be wholly transparent,” Volodinsky emphasized. According to Volodinsky, investigators do not find it necessary to press charges against former commanders of the Northern Fleet. “There is no decision concerning responsibility of fleet command for the sinking of the submarine,” Volodinsky said.