Ilya Klebanon: There are no direct proofs of Kursk submarine’s collision with any underwater object, though - a lot of indirect ones

At the moment, there are no direct proofs of Kursk submarine’s collision with another underwater object, vice-premier of Russia, Russian minister of industry, science and technologies, Ilya Klebanov announced today, in the press-conference in Moscow. Ilya Klebanov stressed, the state commission investigating reasons of Kursk submarine’s wreck had many times said about circumstantial signs of the submarine’s collision with an object. “Whether the version about the collision becomes the true or not, I cannot say at the moment,” – Klebanov said. While speaking about terms, when the final verdict could be made by the state commission, the vice-premier announced, the “work of the commission is not planned,” so it would be to early to speak about terms of finishing the work. Klebanov noticed at the moment, the commission had got additional materials about Kursk submarine’s wreck that are being studied in the best military institutes of the country. While answering the question about the fate of the submarine’s first compartment, the vice-premier reported that certain fragments of the first compartment would be lifted next summer. Klebanov especially noticed that the first compartment’s lifting would be realized mainly with Russian Navy’s force.

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/17/33927.html