Admiral Vyacheslav Popov said that the Russian nuclear submarine "Kursk" sank in 2000 after colliding with a NATO submarine in the Barents Sea.

According to the Russian rt website; Popov, who at that time held the position of commander of the Russian Northern Fleet, emphasized that the name of the "guilty" submarine is known with a "probability of 90%".

The admiral recalled that the "Kursk" sank during its participation in maneuvers on August 12, 2000 in the Barents Sea, 175 km from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters.

According to the official version, as a result of the explosion of a torpedo on board and the subsequent detonation of ammunition. As a result of the accident, all 118 crew members of the submarine were killed.

Popov added: “The submarine, which collided with our submarine, was watching it from a distance, and apparently could not guarantee safety standards in sea conditions and all other conditions at that time, and got too close to our submarine, and perhaps the Kursk maneuver led to a loss of contact. And I know Its name is with a 90% probability, but in order to call it public, we must have hard evidence to provide. I can't provide that information."

In 2000, Popov, in a documentary film by journalist Arkady Mamontov about the submarine "Kursk", expressed his confidence that "the cause of the accident was a collision with an unidentified submarine, it hit our submarine at its weakest point, and, of course, it was not intended." But the admiral did not specify at the time, the name and identity of the "guilty" submarine. According to Russian and foreign media reports, the nuclear submarines Memphis and Toledo of the US Navy, as well as the British submarine Splendid, were in the exercise area.

News24 reported that the Russian Defense Ministry asked the Pentagon to allow it to examine the nuclear submarines Memphis and Toledo, but the request was denied.