Igor Botnikov News

Nearly a year after the Kursk submarine sank in the Barents Sea with the loss of all on board, Russia packed 99 journalists onto a ship and took them to the site of the catastrophe. The Kremlin says it wants to make the lifting of the 18,000 ton nuclear-powered warship a model of multi-media openness, after weathering fierce criticism last summer for its handling of an accident that is still shrouded in mystery. Horror at the loss of one of Russia's most modern submarines and her 118 crew last August quickly turned to popular outrage. President Vladimir Putin failed to cut short a Black Sea holiday to oversee rescue efforts, which were hampered by the navy's reluctance to accept offers of help from abroad.