"Kursk"

by Peter Truscott

In the worst peacetime disaster experienced by the Russian Navy, on 12 August 2000 the state-of-the-art nuclear-powered Kursk submarine sank with the loss of 118 officers and crew. The sinking was a humanitarian, environmental, and military catastrophe for Russia, and a powerful political reversal for President Putin But what really happened? Peter Truscott, former Foreign Affairs and Defence spokesperson in the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Security Committee, aims to provide the answers. An expert on Russia, with a modern history doctorate from Oxford University, Truscott has met President Mikhail Gorbachev, three Russian Prime Ministers, two parliamentary Speakers and the leaders of all Russia's political parties over the past decade. For this book, the author has also interviewed relatives of the crew; Russian, British and American nuclear submarine commanders; international torpedo experts; politicans; diplomats; British and Norwegian rescue teams and their leaders; submariners; seismologists and members of the defence and intelligence communities This work vividly re-creates the terrible final hours of the crew as they waited in vain for rescue at the bottom

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but interesting read. Perhaps most insightful is how the Kursk crisis highlighted the shortcomings of the former Soviet Union in 2000 and how the new Russian leader, Putin, was forcefully made aware of just how much things had changed and how he was going to have to take corrective measures.

[Kristína Chrenková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veľmi pútavé čítanie. Kniha je veľmi detailná, páčilo sa mi ako autof narába s citáciami a zdrojmi, ktoré je v tejto krajine také ťažké zohnať. Miestami sa ale opakoval a možno by sa časť knihy dala zjednodušiť a skrátiť. Inak super