The hull of the submarine will be cut into two pieces. The stern is the first to be handled by Russian and foreign specialists together. The aft about 20 meters in length will be tackled by Russians alone at a later date.

Functionaries of the Kursk International Foundation say that the submarine had better be lifted for ecological considerations. The operation will cost approximately $70 million, the sum to be covered by Russia and the international community.

In his interview with the Izvestia, Gennadi Sorokin of the Central Design Bureau Rubin says specialists know what must have happened to the submarine and adds that this unique chain of events reconstructed by experts will stun everybody.