Russian 'Arctic 30' detainee granted bail

One of the Greenpeace Arctic 30 detainees has been granted bail following a pre-trial hearing in St Petersburg.

Russian Yekaterina Zaspa, served as a medic on the Greenpeace ship ‘Arctic Sunrise’. Her bail has been set at around €45,500, hinting at possible leniency in the.

On the same day, in a separate court, an Australian detainee, Colin Russell, was denied bail and will be held in custody until at least February 24.

Russell, a radio operator on ‘Arctic Sunrise’, was indignant about being detained:

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t understand the reasons why I’m being detained. I’ve done two months of hard time for nothing. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Zaspa is expected to be released in two days, once Greenpeace has organised the bail transfer.

The Greenpeace activists are being held following an attempt to scale a Russian, state-owned, offshore oil rig in the Arctic on September 18.

If convicted of hooliganism, the ‘Arctic 30’ could face up to seven years in jail.