The damage done. (cover story)

The article focuses on the impact of the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk on the political reputation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The sinking of one of Russia's newest and most formidable submarines during naval maneuvers on August 12 marked the beginning of the worst ten days of Putin's political life. Official behavior from the start was deceitful, arrogant and callous. When Putin first surfaced from holiday, he sounded like an inexperienced minor bureaucrat rather than the action man whose image has been built by photo calls with a military backdrop. Belatedly, the Kremlin woke up to the political dimensions of the disaster. Putin interrupted his holiday, declared August 23 a day of mourning, and spent an emotional three hours talking to relatives of the crew on a hurried visit to Murmansk.