MOSCOW—A secret Russian military submarine that caught on fire killing 14 sailors earlier this week was nuclear-powered, the government said Thursday, amid criticism that authorities withheld information about the country’s deadliest naval accident in more than a decade.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin the fire started in the submarine’s battery compartment and that the nuclear reactor was isolated, according to comments published on the Kremlin’s website. No further information about the cause of the fire was provided.
