18 May 2004 -- A Russian military court today convicted a navy admiral of negligence in the fatal sinking of a decommissioned nuclear submarine, sentencing him to four years in jail.
The court convicted Admiral Gennadii Suchkov, the former head of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet. Suchkov was suspended after last August's sinking of the submarine as it was being towed to a scrapyard. Nine of the 10 crewmen aboard were killed in a weather-related accident.
The commander of Russia's Northern Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov said that the accident occurred due to a disregard of safety rules when commanders authorized the towing of the submarine despite a bad weather forecast.
(AP)
The commander of Russia's Northern Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov said that the accident occurred due to a disregard of safety rules when commanders authorized the towing of the submarine despite a bad weather forecast.
(AP)