Russian authorities have refunded part of the money Greenpeace paid to bail out the activists after the charges of hooliganism were dropped in December, a lawyer with Greenpeace Russia told RIA Novosti. The NGO paid 2 million rubles (€ 43,500) for each of the 30 activists to have them released in November, after being arrested in Murmansk and later in St. Petersburg since the September 18 protest against Arctic drilling.
Russian authorities have also returned part of the belongings that the activists had when their vessel was detained by border guards in the Pechora Sea.
Greenpeace’s Ductch-flagged icebreaker “Arctic Sunrise” is still being held back in port in Murmansk. The port fees amount to almost 3 million rubles (€65.000), and it is not clear who should pay this, Izvestiya writes.
The vessel is being inspected regularly and is in fairly good conditions, although it will probably need repairs before it can sail form Murmansk. “Arctic Sunrise” can be hold back in Murmansk until June, since the investigation committee has six months to close the case.
