Russia charges 14 activists with piracy

MOSCOW — Greenpeace says 14 of its activists who were detained after protesting at a Russian oil platform have been charged with piracy, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The activists from Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Sweden were among 30 people who were on board the Greenpeace ship that was seized by the Russian Coast Guard following the Sept. 18 protest.

Two of the activists had tried to scale an offshore platform owned by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to call attention to the environmental risks of drilling in Arctic waters.

Greenpeace says more activists, including two Canadians, were expected to be formally charged on Thursday and Friday.

Paul Ruzycki of Port Colborne, Ont., was serving as the ship’s chief mate and Montrealer Alexandre Paul was also on board.

All 30 are being held in jails in Murmansk, a port above the Arctic Circle.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he doesn’t think the Greenpeace activists are pirates, which triggered hopes for their release. But Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday urged energy companies to adopt more stringent security measures and said the government should consider tougher penalties for those who attack or trespass on the grounds of Russian oil and gas infrastructure.

“Concern for the environment must not cover up unlawful actions, whatever lofty goals the people who were taking part in them espoused,” Medvedev was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

The platform is the first offshore rig in the Arctic. It was deployed to the vast Prirazlomnoye oilfield in the Pechora Sea in 2011, but its launch has been delayed by technological challenges.

The investigators said that the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, had violated the 500-metre security zone around the platform and that it was carrying equipment whose purpose was still unclear.