An Australian activist detained by Russian authorities for three months has left on a flight out of Russia as he makes his way back to his home in Tasmania.
Colin Russell, 59, was one of 30 activists arrested and detained in September for protesting against a Russian oil rig operated by Moscow-based energy company Gazprom in the Pechora Sea.
Known as the Arctic 30, the group, made up of 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, had been accused of hooliganism.
The charges were dropped last week after the Russian parliament passed an amnesty law and freed the defendants.
Russian authorities granted Mr Russell an exit visa on Friday night, allowing him to return home to Tasmania.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
On Saturday, Greenpeace said Mr Russell left the Russian city of St Petersburg "bound for Amsterdam en route to Hobart".
Mr Russell is expected in Amsterdam, where Greenpeace International is based, with his wife Christine and daughter Madeleine.
He will arrive in Australia on January 2.
Two other Australian residents Alex Harris of Sydney and Jon Beauchamp of Adelaide have also been granted exit visas.
