The head of Greenpeace has offered himself as human bail to Russian president Vladimir Putin in exchange for 30 environmental activists detained after trying to board a Gazprom oil platform.
A group of 28 environmental campaigners and two journalists have been in custody on piracy charges since their ship was stormed by the Russian coastguard last month.
Bail hearings are under way, with three of the activists already having been refused liberty by the Russian courts.
The activists, including six Britons, face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.
Now Kumi Naidoo, head of Greenpeace International, has called for a meeting with Putin after delivering a letter requesting a meeting in Moscow to the Russian embassy in the Netherlands this morning.
He said he would guarantee the activists’ good conduct but said that piracy charges against them do not make sense and should be dropped.
Watch Naidoo’s interview below
It comes as Russian investigators say they are considering charging members of the group with drugs offences.
Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said that “dual-use equipment” and drugs were found on board the Greenpeace ship.
Greenpeace said it was surprised at the possibility of further charges against members of the 30-strong group, stating that the suggestion of drugs on board the vessel was designed to “deflect attention from the growing global outrage over the continued imprisonment of the detainees”.
A spokesman said: “We can only assume the Russian authorities are referring to the medical supplies that our ships are obliged to carry under maritime law.
“The ship was first searched by Russian officers weeks ago, they scoured every corner of it… Any claim that illegal drugs were found is a smear, it’s a fabrication, pure and simple.
“There is a strict policy against recreational drugs on board Greenpeace ships, and any claim that something other than medical supplies were found should be regarded with great suspicion.
“The ship had on board a fully qualified doctor with over 10 years’ experience in Russian hospitals. Certain medical supplies are kept in a safe that only the captain and the doctor have access to.
“We know that the safe was broken into by the Russian authorities during the searching of the ship. We can assume these are the medical supplies that the Russian security services are referring to.”