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Russian Defense Ministry makes public list of sailors killed in fire onboard submersible

According to the Defense Ministry, "all of them had repeatedly participated in most difficult underwater expeditions to explore the Arctic, submerging to maximum depths"

MOSCOW, July 3./TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has made public the names of the sailors killed in the fire onboard of a Russian navy research submersible on July 1. Their photos with the names have been uploaded to the ministry’s website.

There are seven captains 1st rank among them - Denis Dolonsky, Nikolai Filin, Vladimir Abankin, Andrey Voskresensky, Konstantin Ivanov, Denis Oparin and Konstantin Somov. Also killed in the fire were three captains 2nd rank - Alexander Avdonin, Sergey Danilchenko and Dmitry Solovyov. Lieutenant-Colonel of Medical Services Alexander Vasilyev, Captain 3rd Rank Viktor Kuzmin, Captain 3rd Rank Vladimir Sukhinichev and Captain 3rd Rank Mikhail Zubkov also sacrificed their lives, saving the submersible.

According to the Defense Ministry, "all of them had repeatedly participated in most difficult underwater expeditions to explore the Arctic, submerging to maximum depths".

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on the death of 14 sailors during a fire onboard a submersible in Russia’s territorial waters on July 1. The accident occurred while the submersible was conducting bathymetric measurements.

The fire was extinguished thanks to the crew’s courageous efforts, the ministry emphasized. The submersible vehicle is now at the Severomorsk naval base, and the accident is being investigated.