---
title: "Russian Sub That Caught Fire Possibly Sent to Cut Internet Cables"
description: "A Russian sub caught fire on Monday. It may have been a nuclear-powered \"Losharik\", which Russia uses to disrupt undersea Internet cables."
date: "2019-07-03"
modified: "2019-07-10"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/russian-sub-fire-internet-cables"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "military"
  - "Russia"
  - "submarine"
  - "undersea cable"
---

# Russian Sub That Caught Fire Possibly Sent to Cut Internet Cables

![A Russian sub caught fire on Monday, killing 14 sailors — and Russia won't say what kind of sub it was or what it was doing near the ocean floor.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/russian-sub-fire-internet-cables.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: U. S. Navy/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Fire Down Below

On Monday, a Russian submarine caught fire during a mission, killing 14 sailors on board.

But the public didn't find out about the incident until the next day, when Russia finally [released a statement](<https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/sailors-killed-in-russia-submersible-fire-ministry.html>) about the accident — though two days after the event, the nation still wouldn't say exactly what kind of sub caught fire or whether it was nuclear-powered.

A possible reason for Russia's caginess? Multiple sources are now claiming the sub was an AS-12 "Losharik," a nuclear-powered submarine some speculate was designed to cut the [undersea cables](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-internet-cable-africa-europe>) that deliver internet to the world.

## Spy Mission

Russian media outlets [*RBC*](<https://www.rbc.ru/society/02/07/2019/5d1b64179a7947de5554b385>) and [*Novaya Gazeta*](<https://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/2019/07/02/152976-iz-za-pozhara-na-podvodnoy-lodke-minoborony-pogibli-14-moryakov>) have both cited anonymous sources who claim the submarine was a Losharik, and while the sub has been in operation since 2003, Russia has never come out and declared [its official purpose](<https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least-14-killed-in-russian-submarine-fire/30033324.html>).

That hasn't stopped the U.S. and other Western officials from conjecturing about it, though.

For years, [they've warned](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russian-submarines-are-prowling-around-vital-undersea-cables-its-making-nato-nervous/2017/12/22/d4c1f3da-e5d0-11e7-927a-e72eac1e73b6_story.html?utm_term=.f095ba717c39>) that Russia has been [surveying undersea cables](<https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-could-enemies-sabotage-undersea-cables-linking-the-world-2018-3>), and experts have [called out](<https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/01/russian-subs-are-sniffing-around-transatlantic-cables-heres-what-do-about-it/145241/?oref=d-skybox>) the Losharik by name as possibly playing a role in future missions to disrupt those cables.

## Radiation Situation

Of course, there's another possible reason for Russia's lack of openness about Monday's incident: if the Russian sub was a Losharik, that means a nuclear-powered craft *just caught fire*.

On Tuesday, [Norwegian authorities reported](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-submersible-norway/norway-says-not-detecting-high-radiation-after-russia-submarine-fire-idUSKCN1TX2E3>) that they hadn't detected any abnormal radiation in the area of the fire. But the fact that Russia itself hasn't released a similar statement is cause for serious concern, according to Russian news site *The Bell.*

"Nearly a day without information about the accident in a nuclear facility and the need to look out for Norwegian statements about the level of radiation should have given a shudder to those who remember the Chernobyl nuclear power station," the site wrote about the fire, [according to *Reuters*](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-submersible-incident/russia-accused-of-cover-up-over-lethal-submarine-fire-idUSKCN1TY1D0>).

**READ MORE:** [Russia accused of cover-up over lethal submarine fire](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-submersible-incident/russia-accused-of-cover-up-over-lethal-submarine-fire-idUSKCN1TY1D0>) \[*Reuters*\]

**More on undersea cables:** *[Google’s Next Subsea Internet Cable to Connect Africa and Europe](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-internet-cable-africa-europe>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)