14 Russian sailors killed in a fire aboard a submarine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Sputnik/AP.

14 Russian sailors have been killed in a fire aboard Russia's AS-12 Losharik deep diving research submarine. AP. It is unclear if there were any survivors of the disaster and if the incident happened at the surface or if it happened while the submarine was submerged. The AS-12 is one of Russia's most secret submarines and very few photos of the ship exist. The sailors died from inhaling fumes from the firefighting effort and were able to extinguish the fires. Vladimir Putin mourned the dead saying that they were elite crew and highly professional. The AS-12 is a smaller submarine that is launched from a Delta III class nuclear sub named the Orenburg and can dive to at least 8000 feet but may be capable of diving to almost 20,000 feet. 

My Comment:

This is a pretty huge naval disaster for the Russians and it happened with one of their most important ships. It's unclear if they lost the ship or not but it seems like it was saved. The Losharik supposedly has a crew of 25 so it's likely that people survived. 

It's unclear what started the fire on the Losharik. I do know that fire is one of the biggest threats that submarines or ships face. It's very possible that an electrical short or chemical spill caused the fire. And given how dangerous a fire is on a submarine it's not surprising that 14 sailors died. 

There is a lot of speculation on what the Losharik was doing. One of the roles suspected for the ship was taping underground cables for espionage purposes. Even if that is true it's unlikely that was the mission in this case. The incident happened in Russian waters so there are no real cables to spy on there. 

Speaking of speculation there is a ton going on right now. People are saying that Putin changing his plans after this incident is evidence of, well, something. That makes very little sense for me as dealing with a major naval disaster more than justifies changing plans. Putin came under major criticism after failing to deal with the Kursk disaster so there are domestic concerns as well.

Even wilder is that people think that Vice President Mike Pence canceling an event today and returning to the White House is somehow connected to the incident as well. Even ignoring the fact that the White House has released a statement saying that the incident was not related to national security (or health), it makes very little sense. A submarine disaster is hardly a prelude to war and the incident is most likely political in nature.

I do have to say that these sailors were in probably one of the worst situations imaginable. Having to fight a fire while under the ocean with no chance of escape is horrifying. I salute these brave sailors who saved their ship and their comrades.