Everybody in Severomorsk know the contents of Lieutenant Captain Kolesnikov's last message from the Kursk. Officers who saw it with their own eyes say Kolesnikov wrote about a mutiny. Forensic experts discovered Kolesnikov had broken ribs and nose. He was assaulted and beaten up by sailors. Kolesnikov remained the last officer in the three stern compartments. Predictably, he assumed the command.

When Compartment 7 began taking water, Kolesnikov had everybody move to Compartments 8 and 9. Sailors decided for some reason that Captain Lyachin was still alive in the command post and tried to get there. Kolesnikov was in their way. Enraged sailors assaulted him. Forensic discovered that those who survived the explosion, fire, and collision with the seabed did not drown. They were killed by mounting pressure. Nobody is going to lift the Kursk, officers in Severomorsk say.

According to the plan, the submarine is to be towed to the coast by the largest floating dock of the Northern Fleet, the PD-50. Nobody there knows anything about the future operation. No preparations are underway. Specialists say that the operation is extremely risky.

The Kursk reactor is turned off, but it is of such a make that uncontrolled chain reaction may begin in it with the list of over 60 degrees. ASW ships Admiral Chabanenko and Admiral Kharlamov of the Northern Fleet patrol the site of the tragedy. Their acoustics regularly detect foreign submarines nearby. The Americans particularly are interested in the Kursk and its Granit missiles.