25 Greenpeace activists have been arrested on Thursday after the Russian Coast Guard boarded the ship, according to the organization.
Greepeace says that the Arctic Sunrise was circling around a Gazprom drilling platform in the Arctic Ocean, and was in Russia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which makes it an illegal boarding.
Armed Coast Guard members boarded the ship and rounded up the 25 activists on the deck. Coast Guard members were pointing guns at some of the members, according to Greenpeace activists inside the radio room.
“This is pretty terrifying. Loud banging. Screaming in Russian. They’re still trying to kick in the door,” the activists inside the radio room relayed to Greenpeace members outside of the area.
“Crew are sitting on their knees on the helipad with guns pointed at them.”
The situation comes a day after the Coast Guard arrested two activists who had scaled Gazprom’s drill platform in a peaceful protest.
“This illegal boarding of a peaceful protest ship highlights the extreme lengths that the Russian government will go to in order to keep Gazprom’s dangerous Arctic drilling away from public scrutiny,” said Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International executive director.
“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.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “The intruders’ actions were of aggressive and provocative character and had the outward signs of extremist activity that can lead to people’s death and other grave consequences,” according to Reuters.
