After a nine-day rescue operation that transfixed the world, the Russian government announced Monday that all 118 crew members of the downed submarine Kursk were dead. An international rescue team discovered that all the compartments in the vessel were flooded; it is likely that almost all of the crew members were dead shortly after the sub hit the sea floor. The accident has revealed that the worst habits of the Soviet era survived the death of that regime. Denial and an almost pathological reliance on secrecy continue to rule in Moscow. They may not have added to the death toll in this case, but they are certain to have tragic effects in the future.
Since the world learned of the accident involving the Kursk, a 13,000-ton nuclear submarine that is the largest and newest vessel in the Russian fleet, the information that has been released has been sketchy and contradictory. The accident was revealed last Monday. Initial reports said it had occurred the day before; later, the government admitted it had happened on the Saturday. First, the government reported that there had been a minor technical problem, not a catastrophic incident.
Hope was sustained by reports that the sub had "glided" to the sea floor, that there had been radio contact with the crew and that banging sounds were heard from inside the hull. Only this week, did the government reveal that there had been no contact since last Monday. Since the sub apparently flooded shortly after the accident -- whatever it was -- the other reports must all be considered fabrications.