ST. PETERSBURG, August 25 (RIA Novosti)...

Press speculation on the mystery surrounding the Arctic Sea"s disappearance has been rife with some media saying that Russian authorities are trying to cover up a smuggling or trafficking operation. Moscow-based columnist Yulia Latynina speculated that the vessel was secretly shipping arms via Algeria to a rogue state like Iran or Syria.

Other reports suggested that the Arctic Sea was hiding a second, smaller vessel while sailing off Sweden"s east coast.

Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin has dismissed such allegations as "fantastic" and "ridiculous."

"There is no mention of [illegal] arms," Konstantin Boronovsky said in an interview with Radio Ekho Moskvy, responding to a listener"s question of whether the bulk carrier had been involved in an arms smuggling operation.

He stressed, however, that he could only cite the files that he had actually read.

Last Friday, Moscow"s Basmanny District Court remanded in custody eight unemployed men from Estonia

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