The Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he feels responsibility and guilt for the Kursk submarine disaster. His comments came as the country observed a national day of mourning for the 118 sailors who died on board. A planned ceremony on the Barents Sea for the dead crewmen has been cancelled at the request of relatives. Some are refusing to mourn the dead until the bodies have been recovered. Others have asked for the rescue operation to continue.
Earlier today Mr Putin returned to Moscow from the northern city of Vidyayevo where he heard angry comments from some of the relatives of the 118 crewmen who perished aboard the Kursk. Russia and Ukraine have said that they intend to compensate the sailors' families. The Russian Government has pledged to pay almost £6,200 the equivalent of more than ten years pay. Ukraine said that it would make a contribution of just over £900 to the families of Ukrainian-born crewmembers.
In a separate development, Norwegian scientists have said that there is so far no sign of radiation from the Kursk, which sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea a week and a half ago. Norwegian radiologists are constantly monitoring the situation.
Russia has begun a national day of mourning for the sailors who died on board the Kursk. At midnight, the flag over the Kremlin was lowered to half-mast. However, a planned ceremony today on the Barents Sea for the dead crewmen was cancelled at the request of relatives. Some are refusing to mourn the dead until the bodies have been recovered. Others have asked for the rescue operation to continue. However, the Norwegian firm whose divers opened the wreck have said that any operation to recover bodies inside the Kursk is unlikely to happen before mid-2001 after the bitter Arctic winter.
The Russian President met relatives of the crewmembers for three hours yesterday. Vladimir Putin promised financial help to the bereaved, but he was unable to tell them when the bodies of their loved ones would be retrieved from the bottom of the sea.
