A gripping new documentary has shed fresh light on the Kursk submarine disaster – one of Russia‘s most tragic military failures – and how it cemented Vladimir Putin‘s reputation as a leader who values secrecy and control over human lives.
On August 12, 2000, just three months after Putin took office, the Russian nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk suffered a catastrophic explosion during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, sending 118 sailors to their deaths.
The world watched in horror as the Kremlin dithered, refusing international help for days while desperate crew members clung to life in the wreckage.
Now, Kursk: 10 Days That Shaped Putin, a two-part documentary produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s company HiddenLight, reveals new details about the cover-up, including Bill Clinton‘s shocking claim that Putin knowingly let his own men die to protect Russian nuclear secrets.
The Kursk exploded at 11:28am, its death throes detected by American submarines patrolling nearby. Within hours, the US knew something was wrong and immediately offered help.
But Moscow, desperate to maintain an illusion of strength, kept silent. It took Putin three whole days to accept international aid – by then, it was too late.
Even after Russia grudgingly allowed Norwegian divers to assist, its navy hindered the rescue effort, handing over crude, hand-drawn maps of the escape hatch and blocking British specialists from deploying crucial equipment.
By the time divers reached the wreckage on August 20, every submariner was dead.
Speaking publicly about the disaster for the first time, former US President Bill Clinton revealed that he personally called Putin, urging him to accept help.
On August 12, 2000, just three months after Putin took office, the Russian nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk suffered a catastrophic explosion during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea
Bill Clinton has spoken on the Kursk incident for the first time in the new two-part documentary – Kursk: 10 Days That Shaped Putin
President Putin meeting Irina Lyachin, wife of the Kursk commander, shortly after the accident
But, according to Clinton, Russia’s new leader was more concerned with keeping foreign eyes away from his military technology than saving lives.
‘Putin knew that if we went down there, there were things we would learn that couldn’t be unlearnt,’ Clinton said, accusing the Russian president of sacrificing his own men to avoid revealing military secrets.
Clinton admitted he had once hoped Putin would usher in a new era of US-Russia cooperation, but quickly realised the former KGB officer was more interested in power than democracy.
‘He was clearly determined to restore Russia’s greatness. I worried that meant we’d see a new form of toughness.’
The Kursk disaster was not just a military failure – it was a political turning point.
Putin’s mishandling of the crisis sparked national outrage, with grieving families demanding answers.
But instead of admitting fault, the Kremlin went on the offensive.
Putin spread disinformation, blaming Russia’s weakened military on oligarchs and using the tragedy to justify a crackdown on free press.
One of the most chilling moments came when Nadezhda Tylik, the mother of a dead submariner, publicly confronted an official at a news conference.
The Kursk exploded at 11:28am, its death throes detected by American submarines patrolling nearby
Nadezhda Tylik, the mother of a dead submariner, appeared to be injected with a sedative by a plain-clothes operative while haranguing an official at a news conference
Putin shakes hands with an unidentified relative of a seaman, who is believed to have died aboard the crippled nuclear submarine
A Russian boy standing by portraits of victims of the Kursk submarine disaster, in their barracks during a first anniversary memorial ceremony at the Kursk’s home base of Vidyayevo, in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, 12th August 2001
By the time divers reached the wreckage on August 20, every submariner was dead
Putin’s mishandling of the crisis sparked national outrage, with grieving families demanding answers
As cameras rolled, she was suddenly injected with a sedative by a plain-clothes operative and carried away unconscious – a moment broadcast around the world.
Clinton believes the backlash left a lasting impact on Putin, shaping him into the autocratic ruler he is today.
‘I think he was traumatised by the bad press he got,’ Clinton said. ‘That intensified his determination to seize more control over the media.’
Looking back, Clinton says the Kursk disaster was a warning sign of what was to come.
‘I thought he had enormous potential to lead Russia into a more open, interconnected world. And he didn’t.’
Instead, the man who promised a modern, democratic Russia tightened his grip on power, crushed dissent, and set the stage for the authoritarian rule the world knows today.
The Kursk disaster was not just a naval tragedy – it was the moment Putin showed the world exactly who he was.
