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FSB prepares materials for Investigative Committee over Greenpeace vessel incident

Border guards did not use arms when boarding Greenpeace vessel
Photo EPA/KATE DAVISON
Photo EPA/KATE DAVISON

MOSCOW, September 20 (Itar-Tass) - The Federal Security Service (FSB) is preparing materials for the Russian Investigative Committee to open a criminal case over the Greenpeace vessel incident, a source at the FSB Public Relations Centre told Itar-Tass.

The materials will be sent to the Investigative Committee’s North-Western regional department, the source said.

The FSB Public Relations Centre also told Itar-Tass that border guards did not use arms when boarding the Greenpeace organization's Arctic Sunrise vessel.

On September 19, a team of the border guard service of the Federal Security Service boarded the Arctic Sunrise vessel from a Mi-8 helicopter to stop and examine the watercraft. The border guards did not use arms, the source said.

During the operation, no one was hurt - either the FSB team or the watercraft crew.

Twenty seven people, including four Russian citizens, were aboard the vessel when it was inspected.

Electronic equipment, photo and video recording devices and small boats were found aboard the ship, the source said, adding that reports were written about the inspection results in Russian and English, but the captain refused to sign the documents.

On September 18, at 04:30 Moscow time, six activists of the public organization attempted to board the Prirazlomnaya platform of the Gazprom company to stage a peaceful action of protest against drilling for oil in the Arctic. FSB border guards used arms to prevent the action and stop the Greens' icebreaker. The ship was stopped only when members of a special FSB unit got aboard from a helicopter.

Later that day, Dutch Ambassador Ronald Keller was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and handed a note in connection with the incident.