Closing the books on one of Russia's worst post-Soviet disasters, Russia's top prosecutor said Friday that leaking torpedo propellant caused the explosion that sank the Kursk nuclear submarine nearly two years ago, killing its 118-man crew. He said no one is to blame and no charges will be filed. Prosecutor General Mr. Ustinov also defended the Kremlin's handling of the rescue efforts and said no evidence was found to back up allegations that a collision with a Western submarine or a World War II mine could have been at fault.

Ustinov said all the sailors aboard died within eight hours after the Kursk sank in the Barents Sea on 12th August 2000 - long before any help could arrive. When the navy located the submarine on the seabed some 30 hours after the catastrophe, "there was already no chance to save anyone," he said at a news conference. After the bulk of the Kursk was hoisted from the seabed by an international rescue team in October, dozens of prosecutors studied the mangled corpses for clues to the disaster. They recovered the remains of 115 of the Kursk's 118 seamen. The Russian Navy has withdrawn from service all torpedoes of the type that exploded.