Sinking of the "Kursk": 20 years later, Russia still mourns its missing submariners

Twenty years after the Kursk tragedy, Russia paid tribute to its missing submariners. OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP

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3 min

On August 12, 2000, the accidental explosion of a torpedo caused the sinking of the Kursk, a Russian submarine 154 meters long. The rescue operations are chaotic and the management of the crisis by the authorities, very strongly criticized. Trapped at a depth of a hundred meters, the 118 men who made up the crew lost their lives. The disaster arouses immense popular emotion. The Public Prosecutor's Office closed the case in the summer of 2002, without naming anyone responsible.

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From our correspondent in Saint Petersburg, Étienne Bouche

At the Saint-Nicolas-des-Marins church, a memorial service is held every year on the same date. Twenty years have passed since the disaster and the families now know each other well. During the ceremony, the names of the 118 Kursk submariners are spoken.

A tribute always in pain

“  In the family, he is the last to have served the Northern Fleet to date. What happened to him has kind of become our family story. My father has more trouble. As a veteran of the navy, he still feels a lot of bitterness and pain  ”, explains Ekaterina who is present to pay homage to his brother Ilya.

The commemorations continue at the Serafimovsky cemetery, north of the city. 32 members of the crew are buried there. The youngest was just 20 years old. Sofia meditates in front of the grave of her son Sergei. She created a collective bringing together families.

“  I ended up accepting what happened. To forgive, not to forgive, it is impossible to reason in these terms. In my opinion, there is only one reason to accept to perpetuate their memory. Because for the rest, nothing can be changed. Our children have disappeared, it's over,  ”says Sofia.

The tomb of Captain-Lieutenant Dmitry Kolesnikov stands out from the rest. The exact date of death is not specified there. His father had proof of that. On August 12 after the explosion, a hundred meters deep, her son was still alive.

► To read in the RFI archives:

- Russian submarine in perdition

- Kursk: help, it's too late

- The slow rise of the submarine

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Sinking of the "Kursk": 20 years later, Russia pays tribute to the missing submariners