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Greenpeace activists arrested in Arctic Greenpeace activists arrested in Arctic
(34 minutes later)
Armed Russian officials have boarded a ship and arrested activists, including six Britons, protesting against oil drilling in the Arctic, Greenpeace said. The environmental group's vessel, Arctic Sunrise, is in the remote Pechora Sea in the Russian Arctic, near Russian oil company Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform, to protest against its attempts to drill for oil in the region. Armed Russian military have stormed a Greenpeace ship protesting against oil exploitation in remote Arctic waters. According to the last communications from the Arctic Sunrise before all contact was cut at around 4.30pm BST, the Russians dropped guards on to the deck of the vessel by rope from a helicopter, rounded up the Greenpeace crew and broke into the wheel house and communications rooms.
Greenpeace said the Russian coastguard abseiled on to the Arctic Sunrise from helicopters and arrested 25 protesters on board, including six UK nationals. Six British nationals were among the 25 activists on board.
In a tweet from the icebreaker, activists said armed guards were attempting to kick down the door of the communications room. They also tweeted: "Latest from the deck: Crew are sitting on their knees on the helipad with guns pointed at them." Tweets from three people who locked themselves into a secure area on the ship said: "This is pretty terrifying. Loud banging. Screaming in Russian. They're still trying to kick in the door". Another said: "Crew are sitting on their knees on the helipad with guns pointed at them."
A short time later, contact with the ship was lost, Greenpeace said. It claims the Arctic Sunrise was boarded illegally, as the ship was inside Russia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in which foreign vessels should be free to navigate. The dramatic moves 60km north of the Russian coast near the island of Nova Zemlya, was described by Greenpeace executives in London as "an illegal act in international waters". "We have a right to be there. This was an entirely peaceful protest", said Arctic campaigner Ben Ayliffe.
Two activists had already been arrested by the coastguard for a protest in which they scaled the Gazprom oil rig. But Russian diplomats accused the environmental group of "aggressive and provocative" actions this week after shots were fired by Russian coastguard and two activists from the Arctic Sunrise were arrested on Wednesday after scaling the Gazprom-owned Prirazlomnaya platform which is drilling for oil in the area. The activists have been detained on the Russian coastguard ship Ladoga.
Greenpeace is campaigning against attempts by oil companies to extract oil from the waters of the Arctic, warning that a spill would be highly environmentally damaging and that extraction of more fossil fuels will add to climate change. "The intruders' actions … had the outward signs of extremist activity that can lead to people's death and other grave consequences," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The environmental group said Gazprom's plans to start drilling from the Prirazlomnaya platform in the first quarter of 2014 raised the risk of an oil spill in an area that contains three nature reserves protected by Russian law. According to Reuters, Russia summoned the Dutch ambassador asking him to ensure it was not repeated. The Arctic Sunrise is registered in Holland.
Activists including the organisation's executive director, Kumi Naidoo, occupied the same platform in August 2012. Gazprom plans to start production from the Prirazlomnaya platform next year 2014, according to Greenpeace, raising the risk of an oil spill in an area that contains three nature reserves protected by Russian law.
Naidoo said: "This illegal boarding of a peaceful protest ship highlights the extreme lengths that the Russian government will go to to keep Gazprom's dangerous Arctic drilling away from public scrutiny. Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo said: "This illegal boarding of a peaceful protest ship highlights the extreme lengths that the Russian government will go to keep Gazprom's dangerous Arctic drilling away from public scrutiny. We ask President Putin to restrain the Coast Guard and order them to holster their guns and withdraw. We are a peaceful organisation and our protest has done nothing to warrant this level of aggression."
"We ask President (Vladimir) Putin to restrain the coastguard and order them to holster their guns and withdraw. We are a peaceful organisation and our protest has done nothing to warrant this level of aggression." Figures released this week suggest that the extent of Arctic sea ice has shrunk to its sixth lowest level on record, prompting scientists to warn that manmade climate change was bringing the days of an ice-free Arctic closer.
Ben Ayliffe, head of Greenpeace International's Arctic oil campaign, added: "Drilling for oil here in the Arctic is a grave environmental risk that must be stopped and this is why Greenpeace International came here, taking peaceful action to defend the environment on behalf of the millions of people around the world who are opposed to drilling operations."
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