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| Putin fires Northern Fleet commander after latest nuclear sub sinking
MOSCOW, Sept 11 (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday fired the head of Russia's Northern Fleet following last month's sinking of a nuclear-powered submarine that claimed nine lives. "We could have prevented this tragedy," Russian navy chief Vladimir Kuroyedov said in televised remarks in announcing the reshuffle, which was later confirmed by the Kremlin. Serious & personalized business, investment and technology intelligence for a serious advantage - BizVantage! Kuroyedov said Putin replaced Northern Fleet commander Gennady Suchkov with the fleet's vice-admiral Sergei Simonenko. Nine Russian sailors died in the K-159 submarine when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 30 while being towed to port for decommissioning. Only one of the seamen on board was recovered alive. The submarine wreck is lying at a depth of 238 meters (780 feet). The accident came two weeks after Russia marked the three-year anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine which went down in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000, killing all 118 crew members, after a fuel leak from a torpedo caused an explosion. "The navy made the very same mistakes that it did in 2000," Kuroyedov said in reference to the Kursk tragedy. Putin also reshuffled the Northern Fleet's command after the Kursk disaster. Russia's most modern nuclear submarine sank when a torpedo exploded inside the craft during a faulty test-launch, sparking a fire and a second massive blast that involved the rest of the munitions on board. The Russian navy raised the Kursk from the Artic seabed in an unprecedented operation in 2001, and Kuroyedov said he would also like to see K-159 recovered next year. "I think we must raise the submarine. I will insist on this," said Kuroyedov. He said the operation may be launched next summer and that Western partners could be invited to take part. zak/ss Russia-sub
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