 The cause is unknown, but a version presumes that Captain Britanov may have scuttled the ship.Upon his return to the Soviet Union, Britanov was dismissed from the Soviet Navy and charged with negligence, treason and sabotage.While waiting for his trial in Sverdlovsk in May 1987, Defense Minister Sergey Sokolov resigned and was replaced by Dmitry Yazov; subsequently, the charges against Britanov were dropped.