Greenpeace activists say their protest against Russian drilling in the Arctic in 2013 helped curb the “oil rush” in the region, as a documentary series on the dramatic events is released. Armed Russian security officers detained protesters and the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise in the Arctic’s Pechora Sea as they tried to stage a direct action against Gazprom’s offshore Prirazlomnaya platform. At a preview screening, Greenpeace activists featured in the documentary said they had directed attention on the Arctic oil rush which was happening at the time, with major fossil fuel companies pushing into the region. “And so if you’re looking to bring it home and tell a story, going up there and taking on Arctic oil rigs is one way to do it and by controversialising it I think we did speed up the demise of the Arctic oil rush. Mr Hewetson said a failure to target Russian state oil company Gazprom would lead to accusations Greenpeace was concentrating on “safe” western oil exploration such as the North Sea.

Source: Washington Post June 06, 2024 15:32 UTC