The case against the first out of the 30 accused of taking part in a Greenpeace protest against Gazprom operations in the Arctic has been dropped by the Russian authorities today.
Greenpeace spokeswoman Violetta Ryabko said that investigators notified one of the 30 crew members that their criminal case had been closed, and several more were summoned to receive similar notifications.
28 Greenpeace activists and two journalists were detained onboard the Arctic Sunrise in September and held in custody until late November charged with piracy and later hooliganism, before they were released on bail.
Greenpeace lawyers are currently applying for an exit visa that would allow the 26 non-Russian members of the crew to leave the country as an amnesty law passed last week by President Vladimir Putin is set to clear them of all charges.