Decommissioned missiles from Kursk submarine to be destroyed

The destruction of cruise missiles uninstalled from the Kursk submarine will start today in the Murmansk region, Northern Russia. The Kursk nuclear submarine sank two years ago during manoeuvres in the Barents Sea. According to the regional department of the Emergencies Ministry, the first out of the six missiles will be exploded at 3 p.m., Moscow time.

The missiles will be destroyed in a sandpit in a deserted tundra area. The sandpit's high wall will prevent the fragmentation from leaving the area which will be heavily guarded throughout the operation.

An exact schedule of other missiles' destruction remains as yet unclear. The operation to blast all missiles from the sunken Russian submarine will probably take a week. Experts from the Russian Northern Fleet say that it takes no less than 24 hours to prepare each explosion.