But he did not specifically say the other submarine had collided with the Kursk. Both London and Washington have denied any involvement in the incident, although the U.S. has admitted that some of its submarines shadow Russian naval exercises. Earlier this month, a Russian newspaper published satellite pictures that allegedly showed a U.S. submarine undergoing repairs at Norwegian and British naval bases. The newspaper Versiya said the pictures were further evidence that the Kursk may have been involved in a collision. A leading theory put forward in connection with the disaster is that there was an explosion in the torpedo compartment.
Russian officials say they are investigating that possibility as well.
Only 12 of the bodies of the Kursk victims have been recovered so far. An operation to retrieve more bodies from the wreck was halted earlier this month due to deteriorating safety conditions. A group has also been set up to investigate how the submarine can be either salvaged or neutralised. The wreck contains two nuclear reactors, and the Kursk Foundation, based in Brussels, is looking into ways of eliminating the potential environmental dangers.