Putin vs Greenpeace: the story of the Arctic 30, and why it still matters today

A new BBC documentary tells the story of Greenpeace activists whose arrest sparked a global outcry. As the threats to our planet grow, their story of courage and unity matters more than ever.

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In the chilly autumn of 2013, a Greenpeace crew embarked on a mission to highlight the dangers of Arctic oil drilling. This mission would become a defining moment for the environmental movement – though not in quite the way they’d planned.

This group of Greenpeace activists and journalists came to be known as the Arctic 30, and their story is told in the BBC series On Thin Ice: Putin v Greenpeace.

The mission: save the Arctic from oil drilling

The journey began on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, which set sail towards the Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Pechora Sea. Prirazlomnaya was the first to start offshore oil production in the Arctic, at huge risk to the fragile Arctic ecosystem. Greenpeace’s objective was clear: to draw global attention to the environmental dangers of drilling in the Arctic and to peacefully protest against Gazprom’s operations.

On September 18, 2013, the Arctic Sunrise arrived at the platform. Several activists attempted to scale the platform and mount a multi-day protest against Arctic oil drilling. However, their actions were met with brutal responses from the Russian authorities.

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A man standing in a small boat in a black balaclava and camoflage jacket points a gun at someone just off-camera. Their hand can be seen raised in the air. In the background, more boats mill around, and a person is abseiling down the side of a large metal structure into a boat.

A Russian coast guard officer is seen pointing a gun at a Greenpeace International activist as five activists attempt to climb the ‘Prirazlomnaya,’ an oil platform operated by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. © Denis Sinyakov / Greenpeace

Slashed, seized and held at gunpoint

In the hours that followed the activists had guns pointed in their faces, their boats slashed with knives, and automatic weapons fired into the water surrounding them. The Russian Coast Guard vessel blasted shots ahead of the Arctic Sunrise. Then, masked commandos descended from a helicopter, detained the activists at gunpoint, and seized the Arctic Sunrise.

A helicopter is silhouetted against the dawn or dusk as it hovers low over the deck of a ship. A person is abseiling down onto the deck, where a crew member waves up at the helicopter with both hands.

Russian security services abseil from a helicopter onto the deck of the Arctic Sunrise and seize the ship at gunpoint. © Denis Sinyakov / Greenpeace

Looking at the pictures from that day (smuggled home on a memory card hidden in an activist’s shoe!), it’s hard to believe that all those handguns and helicopters were there to stop a peaceful climate change protest. The brutality of the response is a powerful reminder of why these protests matter: polluters see Greenpeace and its supporters as a real threat to their profits.

The activists, along with two journalists documenting the protest, were transported to Murmansk, a port city in northwestern Russia. Initially they faced charges of piracy, which carried a potential 15-year prison sentence. The severity of the charges shocked many around the world, given the peaceful nature of their protest.

On the deck of a ship, a member of Greenpeace crew holds his hands up as he's accosted by a man in military uniform and a black balaclava.

Russian security services seize the Arctic Sunrise at gunpoint. © Denis Sinyakov / Greenpeace

The incident quickly escalated into a diplomatic standoff. Greenpeace argued that the charges were baseless and that the activists were exercising their right to peaceful protest. But the Russian government, under Vladimir Putin, refused to budge.

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An international outcry

At this moment of maximum jeopardy, Greenpeace launched one of its largest campaigns ever: a huge global effort spanning several continents and involving multiple legal battles, dozens of protests and hundreds of thousands of supporters.

Closeup of an activist's face with tape over her mouth and a sticker saying 'Free the Arctic 30'
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Indonesia

A crowd of protestors gathers round a banner that says 'Free the Arctic 30' in English with Chinese script above. There are also decorated umbrellas, placards and people in polar bear costumes.
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Taiwan

An activist holds up a lantern with the slogan 'Freiheit fur die Aktiviste' painted on it.
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Germany

Activists wearing campaign t-shirts hold up signs saying 'Free Alex', 'Free Colin' etc.
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Australia

People at a candlelit vigil hold up 'Free the Arctic 30' signs with candles in jars.
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Norway

Activists stand behind a row of three seated corporate executives. Their banner reads 'Gazprom, don't destroy the Arctic'
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European Gas Conference, Belgium

Closeup of an activist's face with tape over her mouth and a sticker saying 'Free the Arctic 30'
A crowd of protestors gathers round a banner that says 'Free the Arctic 30' in English with Chinese script above. There are also decorated umbrellas, placards and people in polar bear costumes.
An activist holds up a lantern with the slogan 'Freiheit fur die Aktiviste' painted on it.
Activists wearing campaign t-shirts hold up signs saying 'Free Alex', 'Free Colin' etc.
People at a candlelit vigil hold up 'Free the Arctic 30' signs with candles in jars.
Activists stand behind a row of three seated corporate executives. Their banner reads 'Gazprom, don't destroy the Arctic'
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It was no longer just about saving the Arctic – we now had to bring the Arctic 30 home, too.

It seemed like an almost impossible task at the time, but the entire organisation sprang into action, and supporters stepped up to help.

There were lawyers fighting multiple legal cases; supporters protesting at Russian embassies around the world; Paul McCartney writing to Putin; activists dropping banners at a Gazprom-sponsored football match; people looking after our colleagues in jail, and staff working round the clock to keep the story in the news. Greenpeace strained every nerve, tried every tactic and mobilised every resource to give our colleagues a fighting chance.

Freeing the Arctic 30

Under intense international pressure, Russian authorities eventually downgraded from piracy to the lesser charge of hooliganism. However, the Arctic 30 remained in detention for two months, facing harsh conditions and an uncertain future.

A woman behind bars looks into the camera with a serious expression. She holds up a sign saying 'save the Arctic'.

Greenpeace International activist Ana Paula Alminhana Maciel (from Brazil) at a detention hearing at Primorskiy Court in St. Petersburg. © Vladimir Baryshev / Greenpeace

The turning point finally came in December 2013. With the media spotlight about to turn to the Russia-hosted Winter Olympics and global pressure mounting, the Kremlin decided these prisoners had become a distraction. The Russian parliament voted to grant an amnesty to the activists, and the Arctic 30 were finally free to return home.

The Arctic Sunrise was also released in June 2014, after being held in Russia for almost a year.

The Arctic oil rush that never was

We didn’t manage to stop Gazprom from starting production at that oil platform in the Arctic, but the campaign did help push Shell to abandon their attempt to drill in the Arctic in 2015. And Prirazlomnaya remains Russia’s only operational offshore Arctic platform.

Very few companies have attempted a foray into offshore Arctic oil since. What in the early 2010s looked like an oncoming global rush to exploit this pristine region has now whittled down to just a couple of countries producing oil offshore above the Arctic circle.

The struggle continues

Greenpeace is one of the only groups equipped to confront environmental crimes anywhere in the world. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, we’ll always stand up to the vandals and polluters trying to wreck our shared home.

Since the Arctic 30 walked free, Greenpeace has kept scoring major victories. Together with our friends and supporters, we’ve:

But there’s so much more to do. And as climate change repeatedly boils over into climate disaster, activists’ calls for justice have been answered with a wave of persecution in the UK and worldwide.

Right now, Shell is suing Greenpeace, threatening a multi-million dollar lawsuit following a peaceful protest on one of its oil platforms. And the government is trying to silence dissent with extreme anti-protest laws.

The dignity and determination of the Arctic 30, and their many supporters worldwide, showed the world that this movement will not be cowed – even by global superpowers, armed commandos or a flawed judicial system.

No matter what they do to try to silence us, they will not succeed. What those thirty ordinary people did, and what they stand for, is incredibly empowering. They endured months in jail, faced the prospect of years behind bars, but always remained absolutely committed to the need to take peaceful action to protect the whole planet. When they finally walked out of prison it felt like they’d passed the baton to the rest of us to continue what they started.

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