Specifically, the 14 Russian sailors were killed on July 1, during a fire that broke out at the deep-water research submarine was surveying the seafloor near the Arctic. According to the Moscow Times, President Vladimir Putin revealed for the first time that the secret military submarine was nuclear-powered, prompting the defence minister to assure him its reactor had been safely contained.
In the possibility that the submarine had been lost, it would have added to a large existing quantity of Russian nuclear waste on the Arctic seabed.
Later on, the submarine was taken back to the port at Severomorsk, and Shoigu said that it will definitely be repaired and returned to service.
Moreover, as the Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, reported, the main cause of the incident was a fire in the vessel's battery compartment.
Sources commented that the way Russia handled the information of the incident is similar to the opaque way the Soviet Union handled the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Yet, Russia hasn't provided further information, supporting that details concerning the submarine are classified.
Meanwhile, the only information known about the submarine, is that it is a nuclear-powered deep-sea submersible known by the designation AS-31.
Concluding, the Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday, July 3, released the list of the dead submariners. The Losharik was headed by captain Denis Dolonsky, a captain 1st rank and Hero of Russia.
