- First, the most recent information about the tragedy in the Barents Sea. During a fire aboard the research submarine, the first person to be saved by the submarine crew was a civilian specialist. The crew proceeded to seal off the hatch to prevent the fire from spreading. Defense Minister of Russia Sergey Shoigu shared the information in Severomorsk, where he held a meeting on the investigation of the incident.
We expect to get all the details from our reporter Andrey Grigoryev.
- Greetings, Andrey. You have the floor.
- Greetings, Evgeny.
The defense minister's already in Severomorsk. He had a meeting with Commander of the Northern Fleet Vice Admiral Moiseyev and Commander of the Russian Navy Admiral Yevmenov. He also had a meeting with the members of the commission investigating the incident. The meeting was closed but some details poured into the media. Let's hear what Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the beginning of the meeting.
Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Defense: "There's been a major tragedy. Our comrades, brothers in arms died. During a scheduled research operation within the Russian territorial waters in the Barents Sea, a research submarine of the Russian Navy caught fire. 14 crew members died. The rest were successfully saved. The submarine crew showed heroism in the critical situation. The first person to be evacuated from the compartment that caught fire was a civilian manufacturing industry representative. The crew sealed off the hatch behind him to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the submarine. The crew continued to fight for the vessel to the end. They sacrificed their lives to perform their duty, extinguish the fire source, save their comrades and the submarine".
Sergey Shoigu arrived here at the instruction of the Russian president, whom he recently reported the details of the accident. The current official version is based on that report and the reports of the Defense Ministry. Here's what we know by now.
On July 1, 2019 within the Russian territorial waters in the Barents Sea, a research submarine was conducting bathymetric research, meaning studying the structure of the shelf and seabed. A fire broke out onboard and was heroically extinguished by the crew. However, 14 sailors died of combustion product poisoning, including seven first-rank captains, high-ranking marine officers, two of them were Heroes of Russia. Sergey Shoigu stated that all dead officers would be decorated with state awards. The rest of the crew was successfully saved, that's another important detail. It's worth mentioning that the crew consisted of unique and rare high-class submarine specialists. The submarine was successfully raised to the surface. It's currently docked in Severomorsk. The performance, name, and brand of the vessel are classified. The information was shared by Spokesman of the Russian President Peskov.
There's one more thing. On his social media page, Acting Governor of St. Petersburg Beglov shared that the crew was assigned to a St. Petersburg unit and that the administration would provide financial aid for their families. The Defense Ministry also promises not to support the families of the deceased. A special commission is still operating on site. We may discover new details of the accident later.
- What else do we know by now, Andrey? What information are we getting from Severomorsk? What do you know?
- The commission is still investigating. There are some details from the meeting of the commission. Let's hear what else Sergey Shoigu said at the meeting.
Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Defense: “Seven dead officers were first-rank captains. Two were second-rank captains. Two were Heroes of Russia. All the deceased officers will be decorated with state awards. The Defense Ministry will provide the necessary support and assistance to their families. I'm asking you to honor the memory of the hero-sailors with a minute of silence.”
We'll be sharing all the information we discover by today's evening with you live.
- Thank you, Andrey. Andrey Grigoryev was with us live.
