Putin Defends Greenpeace Capture: ‘They Broke International Law’
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Junko Kimura/Getty Images(SALEKHARD, Arctic Circle) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has defended the capture of a Greenpeace vessel last week after activists tried to scale a Gazprom oil rig in the Arctic. The Greenpeace crew is now being investigated for piracy, though Putin refrained from calling the crew pirates.
“I don’t know the details of what happened there, but it is perfectly obvious that they are not pirates, of course. However, formally, they tried to take over the oil rig,” Putin said at the 3rd annual International Arctic Forum.
“Our law enforcement agencies, our border guards, did not know who was trying to take over the oil rig under the guise of Greenpeace. Anything could have happened, especially bearing in mind the bloodbath in Kenya,” he added, according to Interfax.
“However, it is perfectly obvious that these people have broken international law.”
On the second and final day of the international conference, which, according to its website, focused on the, “ecological security in the exploration and use of the Arctic’s natural resources,” Putin pledged to step up efforts to defend the environment and wildlife in the region. He also pledged to expand environmental boundaries in the Arctic.
Criticizing Greenpeace’s tactics, which he said put them and others at risk, Putin asked, “Are such PR actions worth the possibility of such severe consequences?”
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