Russian President Vladimir Putin marked a national day of mourning for the Kursk submarine crew Wednesday by saying he felt responsibility and guilt for the disaster, which claimed 118 lives.
"I bear a feeling of full responsibility and a feeling of guilt for this tragedy," the sombre-looking Russian leader said on state television.
Putin added that Russia's top naval commander Vladimir Kuroyedov and Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev had tendered their resignations in the wake of the August 12th catastrophe in the Barents Sea, but that he had declined to accept them.
"Their resignations were not accepted and will not be accepted until we have completely understood what happened, what the causes were, if anybody was guilty or if it was just a tragic accident," Putin added.
"If anybody is to blame, he will have to be punished, without any doubt. But we must get a clear picture of the causes of this tragedy and the manner in which the rescue operation was carried out," he said.
"But it is only afterwards that we will be able to draw any conclusions."
Speaking in a hushed tone, Putin added: "Our country has surmounted other catastrophes. The events we are going through today are very painful but I am absolutely convinced that events of this kind do not divide society but unite it."
The Russian president has been fiercely criticized for his insensitive handling of the disaster and for hesitating to accept international offers of help with the rescue effort.
But in a report carried by the RIA Novosti news agency, quoting Putin's televison interview, the president said he received no offers of foreign help until August 15th, three days after the sinking, and that he accepted them immediately.
However, Putin was quoted as adding: "I do not agree with those who claim that, if Russia had asked for foreign help before (August 15th), that that would have changed the situation."
Earlier Wednesday, Putin had flown back to Moscow after a remembrance ceremony for the dead sailors at the Kursk submarine's base had to be cancelled when grieving relatives protested that more was not being done to salvage the bodies from the sunken wreck - MOSCOW (AFP)
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