The investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee received from the Border Office of the Russian Federal Security Service in Murmansk Region files of the check into the incident which took place in the Barents Sea at the Prirazlomnaya oil rig. Following a pre-investigating check, the Northwestern Federal District Investigations Directorate has opened a criminal case over signs of a crime under part 3 of article 227 of the RF Criminal Code (piracy, committed by an organized group of people).

According to investigators, on September 18, 2013, a group of people, who presumably refers to Greenpeace environmental organization, sailed the Arctic Sunrise ship to the Prirazlomnaya oil rig and tried to board it illegally. Their unlawful acts were stopped by officers of Border Office of the Russian Federal Security Service in Murmansk Region.

Personnel of the Northwestern Federal District Investigations Directorate have already arrived in Murmansk for investigation. They are going to question all the participants of the incident, detain the most active of them and decide over a pre-trial restraining measure.

It should be noted that the Arctic Sunrise was in Russia's exclusive economic zone and the Russian Criminal Code has force over crimes committed in this zone. 

When a foreign ship stuffed with electronics of unidentified purpose and a group of people calling themselves activists of the environmental organization are trying to seize an oil rig by storm, there are natural doubts about their intentions. And such doubts are absolutely justified, as it is hard to believe that the so-called activists were not aware that the oil rig was a facility with a high hazard level and any unauthorized actions on it can cause an accident, which might not only endanger  people, but also environment itself, which they so zealously protect. Anyway, basically such actions not only encroach on the state sovereignty, but can threat the environmental safety of the whole region.

I should point out that all persons involved in the assault on the platform will be prosecuted, regardless their nationality, and all investigating operations will be carried out in strict correspondence with Russian legislation and international law.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                     V.I. Markin